Travelers across Canada faced another bruising day of disruption on February 16, as a wave of flight cancellations and delays rippled through the country’s major hubs. From Toronto and Montréal to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and regional gateways such as London, Québec City and Grande Prairie, thousands of passengers were left in limbo while airlines struggled to keep schedules intact. Air Canada, WestJet, Jazz, Porter and other carriers together logged more than 50 cancelled departures and well over 250 delayed flights, turning what should have been a mid-February Monday into a nationwide test of patience.
Weather Turmoil and Operational Strain Converge
The fresh round of disruption comes on the heels of a turbulent winter for Canadian aviation, where severe weather and tight operating margins have collided again and again. On February 16 specifically, flight-tracking data compiled by industry analysts showed 53 to 54 cancellations and roughly 270 to 290 delayed services on Canadian carriers, heavily concentrated at Toronto Pearson, Vancouver International, Montréal–Trudeau, Calgary, and Ottawa. The majority of the affected flights were operated or marketed by Air Canada, WestJet, Jazz Aviation under the Air Canada Express banner, and Porter Airlines, with knock-on effects felt by codeshare partners around North America.
Wintry conditions have played a central role. After a record-breaking snowstorm in late January slammed southern Ontario and Quebec, airports have struggled to return to fully stable operations. Toronto Pearson recently recorded its highest single-day snowfall on record, with runway-clearing work continuing for days afterward to remove accumulated drifts and ice. In Montréal, recurring waves of snow and high winds have forced repeated de-icing holds, reduced runway capacity and tighter spacing between arrivals, feeding delays throughout the system even on days when skies appear deceptively calm.
Although February 16 did not bring a single dramatic storm on the scale of the late‑January blizzard, a combination of lingering snowpack, gusty conditions, low cloud ceilings and intermittent flurries across several provinces constrained airport capacity. That left airlines walking a tightrope: even modest disruptions to ground operations, from slower de-icing to reduced visibility on taxiways, can rapidly snowball into missed slots, late arrivals and aircraft out of position.
Major Hubs Bear the Brunt of Disruption
Toronto Pearson, Canada’s busiest airport, once again found itself at the epicentre of delay and frustration. The country’s main international gateway saw dozens of arrivals and departures leave late, with a smaller but still painful number outright cancelled. Passengers arriving to check-in halls found snaking lines at airline counters and rebooking desks, while security and customs queues periodically swelled as banks of delayed flights converged.
Vancouver International experienced a similar pattern, albeit driven by West Coast weather challenges. There, a mix of low cloud, rain, and mountain-influenced winds put pressure on runway and air traffic capacity. Flights to and from regional communities in British Columbia and Alberta were particularly vulnerable, with narrow schedule buffers offering little wiggle room when a single aircraft arrived late. As delays stacked up, ripple effects spread to transcontinental services linking Vancouver with Toronto and Montréal, and onward connections to Asia and the United States.
Calgary and Montréal, both vital hub cities for Canada’s two largest carriers, also played a central role in the day’s travel chaos. At Montréal–Trudeau, the continued impact of winter weather-related de-icing and taxi congestion kept many departures behind schedule, especially during early morning and late afternoon peaks. Calgary faced a different, but equally disruptive, challenge in balancing hub connectivity with tight aircraft utilization; as late inbound flights arrived from eastern Canada, departures to western and northern destinations were held back to avoid stranding passengers trying to make their connections.
Smaller Cities Caught in the Crossfire
While major hubs draw most of the attention, travelers in smaller centers such as London, Ontario; Québec City; and Grande Prairie in northwestern Alberta also felt the impact of the nationwide disruption. With fewer daily flights and limited redundancy between carriers, even a single cancellation can leave passengers facing 24-hour delays, expensive last-minute ground transport, or overnight stays with few local hotel options.
At secondary airports, the dependence on regional partners such as Jazz and other Air Canada Express operators often magnifies the effect of any scheduling shock. When a feeder flight from a hub is cancelled or badly delayed, communities at the end of that route can find an entire day’s worth of connectivity severed. That can be particularly challenging for passengers heading to critical appointments, from medical care to international connections that are difficult or costly to rebook.
Porter Airlines, which has been expanding aggressively beyond its historic base at Toronto City Airport, also contended with localized disruptions. Its newer jet services linking regional centers with Toronto, Ottawa, and Montréal rely on finely tuned utilization of a relatively young fleet. When weather or congestion snarls operations at one end of the network, small and mid-sized airports quickly feel the strain in the form of delayed turnarounds and surprise cancellations.
Airlines Activate Flex Policies as Backlogs Grow
In response to the rolling waves of winter disruption, Canadian airlines have been quick to reintroduce or extend flexible travel policies that allow customers to rebook without change fees. Air Canada, WestJet and Jazz have each deployed so-called “travel-flex” or “goodwill” measures on multiple occasions this season, urging passengers whose trips are not essential to consider shifting their itineraries to later dates. These policies aim to thin loads on peak‑period flights, freeing up more seats for travelers whose journeys cannot be postponed.
Yet as the disruptions drag on, the practical value of flexibility can be limited by simple seat availability. With many aircraft already heavily booked for winter sun destinations and family travel, particularly on weekends and during school holidays, rebooking options for stranded passengers are often restricted. Travelers at major hubs like Toronto report being offered alternative departures a full day or more later, while those in smaller markets may have to connect through different cities or accept overnight layovers.
The airlines themselves face an expensive balancing act. Proactively cancelling a small number of flights can, in theory, allow carriers to concentrate resources on ensuring that the majority of the schedule operates reliably. However, with winter storms striking repeatedly in January and early February, even well-intentioned schedule reductions have not been enough to prevent daily tallies of tens of thousands of disrupted passengers. The result is a chronic backlog of rebookings and voucher claims that customer service teams are struggling to clear.
Regulators Emphasize Passenger Rights and Protections
As cancellations and delays mount, the Canadian Transportation Agency and federal officials are again reminding travelers and airlines alike of their obligations under the country’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations. The framework requires carriers to provide specific levels of compensation, care, and rebooking options when flights are cancelled or long delayed for reasons within the airline’s control. While severe weather can exempt carriers from some compensation requirements, situations where staffing, maintenance or operational planning are contributing factors often remain subject to the rules.
Consumer advocates note that distinguishing between weather-related and carrier-related causes can be challenging for passengers standing at a crowded gate with little information. They encourage travelers to keep detailed records of their disruptions, including screenshots of flight status updates, photos of airport conditions, and copies of any written communication from the airline. Such documentation can prove important when disputing denied compensation claims or pursuing complaints.
The current spike in disruptions also reopens questions about whether Canada’s regulatory framework is strong enough to deter chronic scheduling issues. Some critics argue that airlines continue to operate with too little slack in their fleets and crew rosters, leaving them vulnerable to cascading failure whenever weather or technical glitches occur. Others contend that additional infrastructure investment at major hubs, including expanded de-icing capacity and improved storm-resilience planning, is needed to reduce the frequency of large-scale operational breakdowns.
Labor Tensions and Capacity Cuts Loom in the Background
This winter’s travel turmoil is unfolding against a backdrop of recent labor unrest and strategic route reductions that have reshaped the Canadian aviation landscape. In 2025, Air Canada’s flight attendants mounted a disruptive strike that forced the carrier to suspend core operations for a period, stranding well over 100,000 travelers and prompting emergency government intervention. While that specific dispute has since moved into arbitration, both unions and management across the industry remain on alert as inflation and cost-of-living pressures continue to weigh on staff.
Meanwhile, Canadian airlines are adjusting their networks and capacity in response to shifting patterns of demand. WestJet, in particular, has announced a series of deep cuts to its transborder program, withdrawing service from a slate of U.S. destinations and trimming available seat capacity between Canada and the United States. Leisure carrier Air Transat is in the process of winding down its remaining U.S. routes altogether, sharpening its focus on sun and long-haul markets where demand has remained more robust.
These strategic choices may help stabilize airline finances but they also reduce redundancy in the system. With fewer carriers operating on many routes, especially between mid-sized Canadian cities and U.S. gateways, passengers have fewer fallback options when a flight is cancelled. On days like February 16, when bad luck and bad weather converge, that lack of alternatives compounds the sense of being “abandoned” experienced by many travelers stuck in terminals from Edmonton to Québec City.
Human Stories of a Chaotic Travel Day
Behind the statistics sit the individual experiences that define a difficult travel day. Families en route to long‑planned vacations found themselves sprawled across terminal floors, children dozing against carry-on bags while parents lined up at service counters. Business travelers saw crucial meetings postponed or moved online from improvised office corners near airport charging stations. International passengers arriving from Europe and Asia missed onward domestic connections, forced into unexpected overnight stays far from their planned destinations.
Some passengers expressed appreciation for frontline airport and airline staff, who spent the day fielding repeated questions, issuing meal vouchers and trying to keep tempers from boiling over. Others voiced frustration at what they saw as poor communication, citing gate changes announced at the last minute and inconsistent information between airline apps, display boards and call centers. Social media filled with images of departure boards awash in orange and red delay markers, accompanied by accounts of marathon rebooking sessions.
For communities like Grande Prairie or London, where flights are a vital lifeline to larger centers, the disruptions took on an added edge. Travelers heading out for medical treatments in major cities, students returning to campus after midwinter breaks, and workers commuting to remote job sites all faced the prospect of missed appointments and unplanned expenses. While travel insurance can absorb some of the cost, many policies include exemptions for weather-related delays, leaving passengers to negotiate compensation directly with carriers.
What Travelers Can Expect in the Days Ahead
With winter far from over and the climate delivering increasingly volatile weather patterns, Canadian travelers can expect further pockets of disruption in the weeks ahead. Airlines and airports are working to clear backlogs and reposition aircraft, but the tight coupling of modern airline schedules means that any fresh burst of bad weather could ignite a new round of cancellations and delays. Travel experts advise building extra buffer time into itineraries, especially when making important international connections or attending time-sensitive events.
Passengers planning trips through Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton or regional centers like Québec City and Grande Prairie are urged to monitor flight status closely in the 24 hours before departure, and again on the day of travel. Early check‑in, enrollment in airline notification systems, and familiarity with each carrier’s rebooking and compensation policies can provide a modest edge when operations go sideways. In a season where even routine journeys can be derailed by forces beyond any one airline’s control, preparation and flexibility remain the most reliable tools available to travelers trying to navigate Canada’s turbulent winter skies.