Travelers across Canada and parts of the United States are facing another day of disrupted plans as Air Canada, WestJet and several partner and regional carriers report extensive delays and cancellations centered on Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, with ripple effects into major U.S. cities. According to live operational data compiled on February 16, today’s disruption includes more than one hundred delays and multiple cancellations on Canadian routes alone, as winter weather and congested schedules strain airport operations in one of the busiest periods of the season.
Fresh Wave of Disruptions Hits Canada’s Busiest Hubs
Canadian airports woke up to widespread disruption today, with flight tracking tallies indicating hundreds of combined delays and dozens of cancellations across the national network. The heaviest impact is being felt at Toronto Pearson, Montreal Trudeau and Vancouver International, where a mix of winter weather, tight turnaround times and congested airspace has created knock-on delays on both domestic and transborder routes.
Operational data compiled from multiple airline and airport feeds points to at least 143 delays and 10 cancellations involving key Canadian and U.S. markets on February 16 alone, a subset of a broader disruption picture that counts well over 300 delayed or canceled flights countrywide. Air Canada and WestJet, Canada’s two largest carriers, are among the most heavily affected, joined by regional affiliates and competitors such as Jazz, WestJet Encore and Porter Airlines. The disruption is particularly acute around peak morning and late afternoon departure banks, when aircraft, crews and gates are in highest demand.
At Toronto Pearson, Canada’s primary international hub, more than one hundred delays and several cancellations have been logged over the course of the day, affecting flights to and from major U.S. cities such as New York, Chicago, Boston, Orlando and Atlanta. Vancouver, a critical gateway for transpacific and U.S. West Coast routes, is reporting dozens of delays and close to ten cancellations, with weather-related slowdowns and congestion impacting both arrivals and departures. Montreal, a vital link for European and Northeast U.S. traffic, is facing a similar pattern of rolling delays and scrubbed flights.
Air Canada and WestJet Struggle to Stabilize Operations
Air Canada and WestJet are again on the front line of Canada’s travel turmoil, as they work to stabilize schedules amid volatile winter conditions and high seasonal demand. Operational snapshots taken throughout the day show Air Canada responsible for dozens of delayed flights and a number of cancellations, mainly out of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. WestJet, meanwhile, is grappling not only with delays but with one of the highest cancellation tallies among Canadian airlines, particularly on routes touching Calgary and the country’s western network.
Both carriers have activated flexible travel policies at various points this winter, allowing passengers to rebook without change fees when flights are significantly delayed or when severe weather is forecast at key hubs. Industry statements in recent weeks have consistently cited a combination of harsh winter weather, de-icing backlogs and air-traffic flow restrictions as primary drivers of irregular operations. Today’s figures are the latest manifestation of a pattern that has repeatedly disrupted travel since late December, with large disruption days logged before Christmas, again in late January and during a major winter storm on February 3 that severely affected Toronto and Montreal.
Air Canada has been particularly exposed on long-haul and cross-border routes, where a single weather-induced delay can cascade across several time zones and multiple rotations. WestJet, with its strong presence in Calgary, Edmonton and western Canada, has also faced difficulty recovering from bouts of extreme cold that affected operations in January, and from heavy demand spikes over peak holiday and ski-travel weekends. The strain on both networks means that an aircraft or crew delayed in Toronto or Vancouver early in the day can trigger a chain reaction of missed departure slots well into the evening.
Winter Weather and Tight Schedules Drive Ongoing Chaos
Today’s figures come on the heels of a series of winter systems that have battered Canada’s aviation network since December. A powerful storm shortly before Christmas forced more than fifty cancellations and hundreds of delays nationwide, while a fresh cold snap in late January led to reduced operations and restricted ground handling at major hubs. On February 3, heavy snow and high winds again pushed Toronto and Montreal into crisis mode, with well over two hundred delays and dozens of cancellations recorded in a single day.
While airlines and airports expect some level of disruption during winter, the frequency and intensity of recent events are stretching infrastructure and staffing to their limits. Extended de-icing times, reduced runway capacity during snowfall, and stricter separation standards between aircraft in poor visibility all slow down operations. Even brief weather windows can leave airports saturated with arriving aircraft, limiting gate availability and forcing subsequent departures to leave late.
Compounding the weather challenges is the reality of tight, efficiency-driven scheduling. Many Canadian and U.S. carriers are operating aircraft with little buffer between flights in order to maximize fleet utilization after the sharp downturn of the pandemic years. When an aircraft arrives late because of de-icing or air-traffic holds, the delay is often passed on to the next leg, gradually expanding into a significant disruption day across the network. Today’s 143 delays and 10 cancellations involving key routes between Canadian hubs and major U.S. cities are emblematic of how fast an operational wobble can ripple across borders.
Impact Spills Over Into Major U.S. Cities
As Canada’s largest airports contend with rolling disruptions, travelers in major U.S. cities are also feeling the effects. Routes linking Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal to U.S. gateways such as New York, Newark, Chicago, Boston, Washington, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Orlando have all reported schedule changes over the course of the day. Delays at Canadian hubs have translated into late arrivals south of the border, missed connections and even last-minute cancellations on return legs.
U.S. carriers partnering with or codesharing alongside Air Canada and WestJet are likewise adjusting their operations, rebooking passengers and reallocating aircraft when possible. Hub airports such as Chicago O’Hare and New York’s LaGuardia and Newark Liberty have recorded a rise in delayed arrivals from Canada, in some cases forcing gate changes and minor delays for connecting U.S. domestic flights. Airline schedule analysts say that, on days when Toronto or Vancouver experience heavy disruption, knock-on effects can be felt at dozens of cities across the U.S. eastern seaboard and Midwest.
Transborder travelers are among the most vulnerable in such scenarios, especially those with tight connections onto onward domestic or international flights. A sixty or ninety minute delay on a Toronto to New York leg can erase the margin needed to connect to onward flights to the U.S. South or Europe, leaving passengers stranded overnight or forced to accept rerouting via less direct paths. As today’s disruptions accumulate, airport concourses on both sides of the border have again filled with long lines at service counters and passengers hunched over mobile phones trying to salvage their itineraries.
Passengers Confront Long Queues, Uncertain Timelines
For travelers on the ground, the numbers translate into very real frustration and uncertainty. At Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, long queues have formed at airline customer service desks as passengers seek rebooking options or accommodation. Social media posts from affected travelers describe hours-long waits to speak with an agent, difficulty accessing timely information about new departure times and concern about missed events, from business meetings to weddings and family reunions.
Families traveling with small children and older passengers are particularly affected, especially when disruptions stretch into late evening and overnight periods. Airport seating areas and food courts have grown crowded as passengers wait out rolling delays that can shift several times within the same day. At smaller airports connected to the big hubs, such as London, Quebec City and Grande Prairie, travelers face a different challenge: fewer alternative flights and limited ground transportation, making same-day recovery more difficult.
Consumer advocates note that while airlines are offering rebooking options and, in some cases, meal vouchers or hotel accommodation, many travelers remain unclear about their rights when delays or cancellations are attributed to weather or operational constraints. Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations, which outline compensation and assistance obligations, have been invoked frequently this winter as travelers push carriers to provide clearer communication and, where applicable, financial recompense for significantly disrupted journeys.
Regulators and Industry Respond to a Difficult Winter
Regulators and industry groups are closely monitoring this latest wave of disruptions. The Canadian Transportation Agency has continued to remind carriers of their obligations under federal passenger-rights rules, especially in situations where delays are within an airline’s control or when disruptions extend beyond three hours. In recent advisories, officials have underscored the requirement for airlines to provide standardized information about the cause of delays and what support passengers can expect.
Airports, for their part, are investing in improved snow and ice management, de-icing infrastructure and real-time communication tools to help ease peak-day congestion. Toronto Pearson, Vancouver International and Montreal Trudeau all utilize centralized de-icing pads and coordinated ramp operations, though the extreme conditions experienced over the past two months have at times overwhelmed even upgraded systems. Airport authorities have urged passengers to arrive early, check flight status frequently and be prepared for longer-than-usual security and boarding processes on high-disruption days.
Industry analysts say the events of this winter have reignited debate over resilience in airline scheduling and staffing. While carriers have rebuilt capacity to meet strong demand for leisure and business travel, the margin for error in day-to-day operations remains thin. Some aviation experts argue that more robust buffers between flights, additional spare aircraft and enhanced crew reserves could help mitigate the sort of cascading delays seen today, albeit at a cost to airline efficiency and profitability.
What Travelers Can Do as Disruptions Continue
With winter far from over and today’s disruption numbers underscoring the vulnerability of the system, travel experts are advising passengers on both sides of the border to plan for continued volatility. For those booked on Air Canada, WestJet or their regional partners in the coming days, the first recommendation is to monitor flight status closely through airline apps or airport information feeds, particularly in the 24 hours before departure. Same-day schedule changes remain common on routes touching Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, especially during early morning and late afternoon peaks.
Travelers are also encouraged to build larger connection windows when routing through Canadian hubs, especially if their onward flights involve international or long-haul sectors. Choosing slightly longer layovers can provide a critical buffer against de-icing delays or inbound aircraft arriving late from weather-affected regions. Where possible, selecting nonstop flights rather than itineraries with multiple connections can significantly reduce exposure to cascading delays.
Finally, passengers should familiarize themselves with their carrier’s policies on rebooking, refunds and accommodation. While compensation may not be available when disruptions are attributed to weather, airlines often provide flexibility on date changes and, in some cases, credits when travel plans are significantly altered. Given the pattern of repeated disruption days since December, many Canadian and U.S. travelers are now building greater flexibility into their plans, recognizing that winter flying in and out of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal can remain unpredictable, particularly when severe weather and tight schedules collide, as they have again today.