Travel across Canada faced fresh disruption today as operations at Montréal–Trudeau International Airport were hampered by a wave of cancellations and delays. A total of 18 flights were cancelled and 85 were delayed, affecting services operated by Air Canada, WestJet, Jazz Aviation, Air Transat, Porter Airlines and several international carriers. Routes linking Montreal to Toronto, Boston, New York, Calgary, Punta Cana and other key domestic and international destinations experienced knock-on effects, stranding and rerouting hundreds of passengers at the height of a busy winter travel period.
Severe Winter Weather and an Already Fragile Network
The latest disruption at Montréal–Trudeau comes amid a winter marked by volatile weather patterns and recurring operational strain across North American air travel. In recent weeks, storms and heavy snowfall have repeatedly swept through Quebec and neighbouring provinces, leading to rolling delay patterns at major hubs, including Toronto Pearson and Vancouver International. Earlier in January, a significant snowfall event forced Montreal’s primary airport to cancel and delay dozens of departures and arrivals in a single morning as airlines struggled to keep runways and taxiways operational.
Today’s issues followed a familiar pattern for winter in eastern Canada. Low visibility, gusty winds and active snow squalls periodically slowed ground handling and de-icing operations throughout the morning and early afternoon. Airport officials and airline operations centers coordinated runway sequencing conservatively, prioritizing safety and leaving little margin for schedule recovery once early flights began to run late. As delays accumulated, aircraft and crews fell out of position, affecting later departures to Canadian cities such as Toronto and Calgary, as well as cross-border and sun-bound services to Boston, New York and Punta Cana.
Compounding the weather was the broader fragility of the network. Carriers have been operating tight winter schedules with limited spare aircraft and crew, a consequence of fleet modernization, cost control measures, and lingering staffing challenges following the past few years of industry turbulence. Once the first round of flights at Montréal–Trudeau began to experience delays, airlines had few options to add backup capacity, turning what began as a local weather impact into a daylong series of disruptions across multiple provinces and into the northeastern United States.
Air Canada, WestJet, Jazz and Others Hit Across Key Routes
Canada’s two largest airlines, Air Canada and WestJet, bore the brunt of today’s irregular operations at Montréal–Trudeau. Regional partner Jazz Aviation, which operates many short- and medium-haul routes under the Air Canada Express brand, also saw a number of its departures and arrivals cancelled, particularly on high-frequency links to Toronto, Ottawa and smaller eastern Canadian communities. For some travelers, what would normally be a straightforward one-hour hop turned into an all-day ordeal of rebookings, long queues and improvised layovers.
Transborder services between Montreal and major U.S. gateways were also affected. Morning and midday flights to Boston and New York faced rolling delays as arriving aircraft landed late and crews hit duty-time limits. Several passengers bound for business meetings in the northeastern United States arrived hours behind schedule or were forced to abandon same-day travel plans entirely. Connections via Montreal to onward U.S. destinations were similarly impacted, leaving travelers scrambling to secure replacement itineraries through Toronto or other hubs.
Southbound holiday traffic did not escape the disruption. Flights linking Montréal–Trudeau with Punta Cana and other popular Caribbean getaways saw significant delays as ground operations sequenced departures around de-icing queues and runway availability. While relatively few of these flights were fully cancelled, departure times slipped well beyond their scheduled windows, forcing sun-seeking vacationers to spend much of the day in terminal waiting areas instead of at beach resorts.
Impact Spreads to Toronto, Calgary, Boston, New York and Beyond
As is often the case in a hub-and-spoke system, the disruption did not remain confined to Montreal. Delayed and cancelled departures at Montréal–Trudeau quickly rippled outward to other Canadian and U.S. airports. Toronto Pearson, already one of the busiest hubs in the country, saw additional inbound flights from Montreal arrive off-schedule, putting further pressure on gate availability and connection times. Some passengers who had planned tight connections in Toronto missed onward flights to western Canada and the United States as inbound services from Montreal arrived well behind schedule.
Calgary, another major domestic hub, also experienced secondary effects. Aircraft that should have completed an early rotation between Calgary and Montreal were late leaving Quebec, causing subsequent Calgary departures to push back later than planned. Travelers heading onward to regional destinations in Alberta and British Columbia from Calgary reported being held on the tarmac waiting for connecting passengers and crew that had been delayed departing Montreal.
Across the border, airports in Boston and New York felt the strain through a sequence of delayed arrivals and late-day turnarounds. Morning services from Montreal arrived behind schedule, leaving crews with shortened windows to prepare for subsequent legs. This created a cascading effect, with some afternoon flights departing U.S. airports late because their aircraft had started the day on delayed Montreal rotations. For passengers on both sides of the border, the disruption underscored how interconnected regional flight schedules have become and how a single airport’s difficulties can reverberate across multiple countries within a matter of hours.
Passenger Experience: Long Queues, Confusion and Limited Options
For travelers on the ground, the operational complexity translated into long lines at check-in counters, customer service desks and security checkpoints. With dozens of flights either delayed or cancelled outright, passengers sought answers on revised departure times, rebooking options and eligibility for compensation. Some faced the added frustration of incomplete or lagging information, as airport and airline systems struggled to keep flight-status boards fully synchronized with fast-evolving schedules.
Families bound for winter holidays, business travelers on tight itineraries and students returning to campuses were all caught in the disruption. In Montreal’s departure halls, seats around electrical outlets and charging stations quickly filled as passengers settled in for what became extended waits. Restaurants and cafes inside the terminal reported brisk business, while some travelers resorted to pacing the concourses to pass the time and manage stress.
Options for same-day alternatives grew thinner as the disruption wore on. Once key morning and midday flights were cancelled, remaining departures quickly sold out, leaving some travelers with no choice but to accept overnight stays or multi-stop routings through other Canadian hubs. For those heading to smaller regional communities reliant on limited daily service, a single cancellation meant waiting until the next day or even beyond to complete their journey.
How Airlines and the Airport Responded
Airlines operating at Montréal–Trudeau activated their standard irregular-operations protocols early in the day, bringing in additional customer service staff and ramp teams where possible. Digital communication became especially critical as carriers pushed out notifications through mobile apps, email and text messages, advising passengers of new departure times or cancellations and inviting them to rebook through self-service tools. For some customers, these channels provided relief by avoiding long physical queues, though not all travelers received notifications in time to adjust their plans smoothly.
At the airport level, operations teams coordinated closely with air traffic control and ground handling providers to manage runway use, de-icing capacity and gate assignments. With winter conditions fluctuating throughout the day, priority was given to maintaining safe separation between aircraft and ensuring that takeoffs and landings took place only when visibility and braking conditions allowed. While this conservative approach inevitably kept delays high, safety officials emphasized that it was essential given the combination of snow, wind and cold temperatures.
In terminal areas, announcements urged passengers to verify the status of their flights directly with airlines before proceeding to security, in an effort to reduce crowding and congestion in the secure zone. Additional staff were deployed to direct travelers, answer questions and help those with tight connection windows navigate between gates more quickly. While these measures mitigated some of the most acute bottlenecks, the overall passenger experience remained challenging throughout the day, with many customers reporting waits of several hours beyond their original schedules.
Travelers’ Rights and What Passengers Can Do
Events like today’s at Montréal–Trudeau highlight the importance of understanding passenger rights under Canada’s air passenger protection framework and similar international standards. Depending on the cause of a delay or cancellation and the size of the carrier, affected travelers may be entitled to assistance in the form of meal vouchers, hotel accommodation, transportation to and from lodging and, in some cases, monetary compensation. These entitlements can vary significantly when disruptions are attributed to weather or safety reasons rather than controllable operational issues, so passengers are encouraged to review airline policies and federal regulations carefully.
For those caught up in today’s disruption, experts recommend several practical steps. First, travelers should retain documentation of their original itinerary, boarding passes and any receipts for out-of-pocket expenses related to meals, lodging or alternative transportation. These records can be crucial when filing claims with carriers later. Second, passengers should use all available channels to manage rebookings, including airline apps, websites and customer service hotlines, which may offer faster solutions than waiting in line at airport counters during peak disruption periods.
It can also be helpful to explore creative routing options. While a direct flight from Montreal to a destination such as Boston or Calgary might be heavily impacted, itineraries that connect through other hubs within Canada or the United States sometimes remain viable. However, travelers should weigh these alternatives carefully, as additional connections can introduce further risk of missed flights when weather and operations are fluid.
Broader Strains on Canadian and North American Air Travel
Today’s difficulties at Montréal–Trudeau are part of a broader pattern of strain in the Canadian and North American aviation sectors, especially during peak winter months. Airlines continue to navigate a delicate balance between restoring capacity, managing rising operational costs and rebuilding resilience in their networks. While fleets have largely returned to pre-disruption activity levels, staffing remains tight in critical areas ranging from pilots and flight attendants to ground handlers and maintenance personnel, leaving little slack when irregular operations occur.
Weather volatility is amplifying these vulnerabilities. With storms, rapid temperature shifts and heavy snowfall occurring more frequently or in less predictable patterns, airlines and airports must adjust planning assumptions for crew scheduling, de-icing resources and runway maintenance. This can lead to a more cautious operating posture, with carriers pre-emptively cancelling flights or padding schedules to preserve reliability, a strategy that protects safety but can generate frustration for travelers who see plans upended days or hours in advance.
The interconnected nature of North American air travel means that issues in one region rapidly propagate elsewhere. A delay in Montreal can impact crews scheduled to work later flights from Toronto or Vancouver, just as operational problems in the northeastern United States can reverberate back into Canadian hubs. The result is a system in which local factors, such as today’s challenging conditions at Montréal–Trudeau, can lead to widespread and sometimes unpredictable consequences for travelers across multiple provinces and states.
Looking Ahead: Planning and Resilience for Upcoming Trips
For travelers with upcoming journeys through Montréal–Trudeau or other Canadian hubs, today’s events offer several lessons in preparation and resilience. Building additional time into itineraries, especially for winter travel, can significantly reduce the risk of missed connections. Choosing slightly longer layovers in hubs like Toronto or Montreal may add an hour or two to a trip on paper but can provide a crucial buffer when de-icing queues, gate changes and arrival delays occur.
Travelers may also want to review fare conditions and flexibility options when booking. Tickets that allow for free same-day changes or offer more generous rebooking policies can prove valuable when disruption hits, particularly on routes that are prone to weather-related issues. Similarly, ensuring that airlines have up-to-date contact information and that their apps are installed and enabled for notifications can help passengers receive real-time updates, sometimes hours before those changes appear on airport display boards.
Ultimately, while days like today highlight the frustrations and vulnerabilities of modern air travel, they also underscore the importance of clear communication, realistic planning and robust support systems for passengers. As airlines, airports and regulators continue working to strengthen operational resilience, travelers themselves can take proactive steps to navigate disruptions more effectively, turning what might otherwise be a day of chaos into a more manageable, if still unwelcome, detour on their journey.