Winter Disruptions Snarl Flights at Montreal Trudeau, Hitting New York and Sun Routes

Travelers moving through Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport on February 13, 2026, are facing another day of frustrating disruption as a cluster of cancellations and delays ripples across key domestic, transborder, and leisure routes. At least 12 flights operated by WestJet, Jazz, KLM, PAL Airlines, and other carriers have been cancelled, with many more delayed, disrupting connections to New York, Varadero, Cayo Coco, Halifax, Ottawa, and several additional destinations across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, and Cuba. The setback comes amid a wider pattern of operational strain at Montreal and other major Canadian hubs, where weather, scheduling adjustments, and shifting market demand are combining to unsettle travel plans at the height of winter.

Fresh Disruptions at Montreal Trudeau on February 13

Montreal Trudeau’s latest difficulties unfolded on Friday, February 13, as a succession of airlines reported day‑of‑travel changes to their schedules. Operational data and industry monitoring point to 12 cancellations linked to carriers including WestJet, regional operator Jazz Aviation, European flag carrier KLM, and Newfoundland and Labrador focused PAL Airlines, alongside a broader slate of delayed departures and arrivals. While Montreal regularly sees several hundred flights a day, even a few dozen disrupted services can trigger a cascade of missed connections and rebookings for passengers relying on the airport as both origin and transit point.

The cancellations are cutting into a cross section of route types. Several high demand short haul services to Canadian cities such as Ottawa and Halifax have been affected, as have select transborder links to the United States, including New York, and winter sun flights to Cuban holiday hotspots like Varadero and Cayo Coco. For travelers, that means not only scrapped itineraries but also a heightened risk of knock‑on delays as airlines attempt to reposition aircraft and crew.

Live performance statistics underscore how fragile the operation can be on busy winter days. Recent tracking for Montreal Trudeau has shown roughly a third of departures running behind schedule and a small but significant portion being cancelled outright, a pattern that leaves little room for recovery when multiple carriers face simultaneous strain. As of midday on February 13, delays of around three quarters of an hour on average for some departures have been reported, reflecting how congestion quickly builds once disruptions begin to stack up.

Airlines Under Pressure: WestJet, Jazz, KLM and PAL in Focus

The current wave of disruption has placed particular scrutiny on WestJet and its regional and codeshare partners. The Calgary‑based carrier has been adjusting its broader network in response to changing demand, particularly on leisure and transborder links, at the same time as it contends with routine winter weather and operational challenges across multiple Canadian bases. Advisory notices published in recent days highlight schedule changes and cancellations to and from Cuba, including destinations such as Varadero and Cayo Coco, which directly intersect with Montreal’s role as a key outbound gateway for Quebec holidaymakers.

Jazz Aviation, which operates a substantial portion of Air Canada’s regional network as an affiliate, is also feeling the strain. Jazz flights are central to connectivity between Montreal and smaller Canadian markets, including links into the Atlantic provinces and regional communities in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador. When Jazz cancels or delays services, the impact cascades beyond a single point‑to‑point trip, disrupting onward itineraries that rely on tight connection windows to mainline Air Canada or partner flights heading onward to major hubs in Toronto, Western Canada, or the United States.

On the international front, KLM’s involvement reflects the global nature of Montreal’s network. The Dutch flag carrier serves Montreal via its transatlantic partnership with Air France and Delta, dovetailing European and U.S. connections on routes such as Montreal to Amsterdam and Montreal to U.S. hubs via joint venture services. Even a single cancellation or rolling delay can strand passengers transferring between Europe and North America, who then must be reaccommodated on limited alternative flights during a busy winter timetable.

Regional operator PAL Airlines adds another layer of complexity. Serving eastern and northern communities, PAL plays a vital role in connectivity for Atlantic Canada and remote regions such as Labrador and the North Shore of Quebec. Its cancellations often represent more than a travel inconvenience, affecting residents with limited alternative transport options and travelers relying on niche routes that operate only a few times per week. When PAL pulls flights from the schedule on a given day, rebooking windows can be much narrower than on trunk routes operated by larger carriers.

Major Routes Hit: New York, Varadero, Cayo Coco, Halifax and Ottawa

The day’s 12 cancellations and associated delays have been felt most acutely on several strategically important routes from Montreal. Services to New York, a critical transborder market with strong business and leisure demand, have once again been disrupted. Flights linking Montreal with New York area airports serve as key feeders into the U.S. domestic network and international long haul services. When these are cancelled or significantly delayed, travelers lose access to onward connections, often forcing overnight stays or complete itinerary redesigns.

Leisure routes into Cuba, specifically Varadero and Cayo Coco, form another major component of the disruption profile. February is peak winter holiday season for Quebec travelers heading to the Caribbean and Cuban resorts, and Montreal functions as a primary launch point for such trips. In recent days WestJet and other carriers have been actively revising their Cuba schedules, and today’s cancellations further constrict capacity on already busy dates. For package holiday customers, a scrubbed flight can jeopardize a tightly choreographed weeklong or ten day vacation that leaves little flexibility for late arrivals.

Domestic travelers have not been spared. Routes to Halifax and Ottawa are frequent and heavily utilized links within the Canadian network, connecting government, business, and visiting friends and relatives traffic. While these corridors typically offer multiple daily frequencies, cancellations remove important options during peak periods, concentrating demand on remaining flights and increasing the likelihood of crowding and knock‑on delays as aircraft get turned around more slowly in congested conditions. Passengers traveling for same day meetings or medical appointments are particularly vulnerable when departure times slip or flights are removed altogether.

Beyond the listed destinations, disruptions have also touched secondary Canadian cities, as well as indirect routing options via other hubs. A delayed or cancelled Halifax or Ottawa service, for instance, can break a chain of connections that carry passengers onward to Western Canada, the United States, or Europe. These invisible secondary impacts make every cancellation at a hub like Montreal significantly more consequential than the number alone might suggest.

Weather, Operational Constraints and Structural Strain

While no single factor can fully explain the pattern of disruptions at Montreal Trudeau, current conditions point to an uneasy combination of winter weather and structural operational constraints. February in Quebec routinely brings subzero temperatures, gusty winds, and the need for deicing procedures, all of which lengthen turnaround times and narrow the margin for on time performance. Deicing queues in particular create bottlenecks, as aircraft wait for clearance before departure, pushing back departure times and compressing gate availability for arriving flights.

At the same time, airlines continue to operate highly optimized schedules with limited spare aircraft and crew. When one route experiences a mechanical issue or an inbound delay from another city, the ripple can be felt across multiple flights because there is little backup capacity in the system. For carriers like WestJet, Jazz, and PAL that operate extensive networks with relatively small fleets compared with global mega airlines, a single disrupted rotation can knock several subsequent flights off balance, especially in a winter season when contingency options are already thin.

Montreal’s broader performance this week illustrates the mounting strain. Data from February 12 indicated dozens of delays and more than a dozen cancellations at Montreal Trudeau alone, with similar patterns observed at Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, Halifax, and Quebec City. The multi day nature of this disturbance means that some passengers affected today are actually dealing with rebookings and misconnected itineraries originating from earlier in the week, intensifying the sense of chaos on the ground as lines grow at customer service counters and call centres remain busy.

Compounding the immediate operational issues are longer term schedule decisions by carriers that are trimming transborder and leisure capacity. WestJet has already reduced or eliminated several routes to the United States, and advisories point to an orderly wind down of some Cuban operations. When irregular operations strike an already lean schedule, travelers quickly find there are far fewer alternative flights available on the same day, particularly outside the largest gateways.

Passenger Experience: Long Queues, Uncertain Timelines and Limited Alternatives

For travelers, the experience at Montreal Trudeau on days like February 13 is defined less by statistics than by the very tangible reality of long queues, packed departure halls, and uncertain timelines. Passengers arriving at the airport to learn of a cancellation often have to join lines stretching from airline counters into the main concourse, as staff work to reissue boarding passes, arrange hotel vouchers, and search for sparse seats on later flights. Even those whose flights are merely delayed may endure several rolling schedule changes as new departure times slip further into the evening.

Families heading to sun destinations such as Varadero or Cayo Coco face particular challenges. In many cases their trips are tied to all‑inclusive packages with fixed check in and check out times, ground transfers, and bundled excursions. A same day cancellation could mean losing a night at a prepaid resort, scrambling to adjust connecting ground transport, or confronting the possibility of shortening or even abandoning a long planned vacation. Travel insurance policies vary widely in how they treat such scenarios, leaving some travelers unsure whether their financial losses will be recouped.

Business travelers on routes to New York, Ottawa, and Halifax are equally impacted, albeit in different ways. A cancelled or heavily delayed morning flight can mean missing a critical meeting, legal hearing, or government session. In an era when videoconferencing is ubiquitous, some organizations may pivot quickly to virtual alternatives, but that does little to help travelers who are already en route or have scheduled tightly choreographed in person engagements. Frequent travelers may also face the long term frustration of eroding confidence in the reliability of regional connections via Montreal.

For those connecting through Montreal to onward European or transcontinental services, missed connections can be especially disruptive. A traveler flying from Halifax to Montreal and onward to a KLM or Air France service into Europe, for instance, may find that a relatively minor delay on the domestic leg is enough to break the connection, forcing a rebook one or two days later in peak season. The emotional toll of such uncertainty often matches the financial and logistical impacts, leaving many passengers wary of tight connections through winter hubs.

What Travelers Can Do: Practical Steps Amid Disruptions

In the face of continued irregular operations at Montreal Trudeau, there are practical measures travelers can take to reduce risk and respond more effectively when disruptions hit. The first is to monitor flight status closely from 24 hours before departure, using airline apps or airport flight information tools. Same day schedule changes are now common, and travelers who spot cancellations early often have a better chance of securing scarce seats on alternative departures before the busiest rebooking rush begins at the airport.

Checking in online as early as possible can also help. Many carriers automatically enroll checked in passengers to receive disruption notifications by email or text message, allowing travelers to adjust plans from home or the office rather than discovering problems only upon arrival at the terminal. Where schedules allow, opting for earlier flights in the day is advisable during the winter season, as morning departures are less exposed to compounding delays built up over multiple rotations.

Travelers booked on routes that have seen repeated disruptions or structural schedule changes, such as some Cuba services or transborder links affected by network cuts, may wish to speak with their airline or travel advisor about backup options before departure. This could include holding a backup routing through another hub, identifying acceptable alternative airports, or ensuring that hotel and ground arrangements are as flexible as possible. In some cases it may be wise to build in longer connection buffers than would be typical in summer or shoulder seasons.

Finally, comprehensive travel insurance that explicitly covers trip interruption, delays, and missed connections can provide important financial protection, particularly for costly international or package holidays. Travelers should read policies carefully to understand covered causes, documentation requirements, and limits on reimbursement. Keeping receipts for meals, hotels, and transport incurred during disruptions is essential when filing claims later.

Montreal’s Role in a Wider Pattern of Canadian Flight Volatility

Montreal Trudeau’s current challenges are part of a wider tapestry of volatility that has characterized Canadian air travel through this winter. In recent weeks, major airports including Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, Halifax, and Quebec City have all reported clusters of cancellations and delays tied to weather systems, crew and aircraft availability, and shifting demand patterns. On some days, hundreds of flights across the country have been delayed or cancelled, stranding passengers from Vancouver Island to Atlantic Canada and remote northern communities.

Smaller regional airports that depend on carriers such as PAL Airlines and Air Borealis have been particularly exposed. When weather or operational issues lead to cancellations in places like Goose Bay, Nain, or Natuashish, residents often do not have viable alternative transport options by road or rail. Montreal plays an important role in this ecosystem as a central hub linking these remote and regional communities to the broader Canadian network and international destinations. Disruptions at Montreal therefore reverberate far beyond the city itself.

At the same time, structural shifts in airline strategy are reshaping the Canadian landscape. WestJet has reduced its U.S. footprint and is selectively pruning leisure routes, while Air Transat, another Montreal based player, has announced plans to suspend all its U.S. services later this year. These moves suggest a more cautious approach to cross border and discretionary travel markets as carriers navigate post pandemic demand patterns, economic headwinds, and competitive pressures. For Montreal based travelers, that could mean fewer options and higher stakes when irregular operations hit limited remaining services.

Looking ahead, industry observers expect continued bumps in the road as airlines calibrate capacity and as winter weather persists into March. While operational performance should improve once deicing demands and storm systems ease, the combination of leaner schedules, tight resources, and strong leisure demand suggests that days like February 13, marked by double digit cancellations and a dense web of delays, may remain a recurring feature of the Canadian travel experience in the near term.

Outlook: Navigating the Rest of the Winter Travel Season

As Montreal Trudeau works through the immediate backlog created by today’s cancellations and delays, attention is already shifting to the remainder of the winter travel season. Airlines are under pressure to deliver more reliable service while maintaining financial discipline in a challenging environment. That means fine tuning schedules, reinforcing crew availability where possible, and improving communication tools that keep passengers better informed when plans change at the last minute.

For travelers, resilience and preparation will remain essential. Those planning February and March trips through Montreal, particularly on routes to New York, Cuba, Atlantic Canada, and other weather sensitive markets, would be well advised to build extra time into their itineraries, remain vigilant about schedule updates, and consider flexible tickets or changeable hotel reservations when budgets allow. Choosing midweek travel dates, which can be less congested than peak weekend departures, may also offer a small buffer against the worst of the crowding and limited rebooking options.

Airport authorities, meanwhile, are likely to face renewed scrutiny from passengers, airlines, and regulators over how infrastructure, staffing, and processes stand up under stress. Montreal Trudeau, like its peers in Toronto and Vancouver, must balance long term expansion plans with short term operational resilience, ensuring that deicing capacity, apron management, and passenger services keep pace with evolving demand patterns and climate realities that can bring more frequent bouts of disruptive weather.

For now, the February 13 disruptions serve as a stark reminder that travel through Montreal remains vulnerable to a complex interplay of weather, capacity, and commercial strategy. Whether heading to New York for business, to Havana’s beaches via Varadero and Cayo Coco, or to Halifax and Ottawa to connect with friends and family, passengers moving through the city’s main gateway in the coming weeks will do well to approach their journeys with a blend of flexibility, vigilance, and patience.