Air Canada warns of lingering delays and cancellations after a U.S. nationwide ground stop disrupted Canadian routes Friday
THUNDER BAY – National News Service – Air Canada is warning travellers to expect delays and cancellations even after U.S. authorities lifted a nationwide ground stop that disrupted flights between Canada and the United States on Friday.
The airline cancelled its remaining Friday flights to and from the United States while the Federal Aviation Administration halted departures across the country. Flights between Canada, the Caribbean and South America that use U.S. airspace were also at risk of disruption.
The ground stop has ended, but Air Canada said it will take time to rebuild its schedule. The airline advised passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport and said its contact centres were handling high call volumes.
Canadian air-traffic systems remained operational
NAV Canada said its systems were operating normally during the U.S. disruption and that it was monitoring the situation. The event began in the United States, but the two countries’ tightly connected aviation networks meant the effects quickly crossed the border.
U.S. officials attributed the shutdown to overloaded air-traffic systems involving a mix of older and newer technology. They said there was no indication of terrorism. Microsoft separately said it had no indication the aviation failure was related to the Microsoft 365 outage that began Thursday.
The FAA order diverted hundreds of flights and disrupted passenger and cargo schedules. The precise number of Air Canada cancellations and affected Canadian passengers had not been published by the research cutoff.
What passengers should do
Travellers should rely on their airline’s current flight-status page rather than the original schedule. Rebooking, hotel and compensation rights depend on the cause, length and circumstances of a disruption, as well as the passenger’s itinerary.
Operations can remain uneven after a system-wide stop because aircraft and crews are left out of position and airports must clear accumulated traffic. Air Canada said it would contact customers whose flights were affected and directed them to self-service booking tools where available.
