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Amid airport chaos, many Canadians have no interest in int’l summer travel: Nanos survey

Michael Pihach

07-11-2022 7:44 am

Michael Pihach

Michael Pihach is an award-winning journalist with a keen interest in digital storytelling. In addition to PAX, Michael has also written for CBC Life, Ryerson University Magazine, IN Magazine, and DailyXtra.ca. Michael joins PAX after years of working at popular Canadian television shows, such as Steven and Chris, The Goods and The Marilyn Denis Show.

The Canadian government says that wait times at airports are going down and passport renewal services are speeding up

And the federal government, working with aviation partners, tends to take a lot of credit for the progress that’s being made.

But recent wins in the fight to decongest air travel may also be linked to the notion that passenger volumes are simply going down as Canadians, faced with the possibility of missing a flight or having their luggage misplaced, lose interest in travel altogether.

According to a new survey by Nanos Research that was commissioned by CTV, three in five Canadians are not interested in travelling internationally this summer.

The online poll of 1,002 Canadians that was conducted between June 30 and July 4, 2022, found that 61 per cent aren’t making any international travel plans, while six per cent said they had international travel plans this summer but cancelled them.

Travellers pass through Toronto Pearson airport in June 2022. (Pax Global Media)

Another three per cent said they booked international travel, but may still cancel their trips.

On the bright side, twelve per cent remain undeterred with their travel plans and have no intention to cancel them.

The insights comes after months of customer service turbulence at airports and passport offices as sectors grapple with staffing shortages amid a surge in demand.

Sky-high prices are also plaguing the marketplace. Inflation, for one, is at a 40-year high of 7.7 per cent.

Oh Canada

Canadian aviation’s poor performance over the past month hasn’t quelled traveller concerns either.

Last week, Toronto Pearson airport, for the second time, ranked number one for worldwide flight delays, according to flight tracking company FlightAware.

Canada’s largest airport, which has been ground zero for disrupted flight schedules, long lines and misplaced luggage for weeks now, was the sole airport across the globe last week to see more than half of departures delayed.

Air Canada, too, saw 65 per cent of its flights arrive late last Tuesday (July 5), while Jazz Aviation, which provides regional service, and Air Canada Rouge took second and third place respectively, FlightAware reported.

The burn is also being felt at passport offices, which, in some major Canadian cities, cannot keep up with the high volume of renewal applications due to understaffed and outdated facilities.

In some cases, frustrated Canadians have been forced to camp outside of Service Canada offices, spending hours – if not days – in line to renew their documents.

In an update last Thursday, Minister of Social Development Karina Gould said she expects Canada’s passport backlog to “drop significantly” by the end of the summer thanks in part to a new triage system that prioritizes people who have urgent travel needs within 24 to 48 hours.

This strategy has already unrolled at passport offices in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Concerns about another wave

The new Nanos survey also categorizes traveller intent by age.

Canadians aged 55 plus are most likely to say they have no interest in travelling internationally this summer (69 per cent) compared to younger citizens (18-34: 53 per cent; 35-54: 58 per cent),” the survey states.

“Those aged 18 to 34 are more than twice as likely to say they want to travel internationally but have no plans (22 per cent) than those aged 55 plus (9 per cent),” the survey says.

And the survey gauges Canadians’ level of concern about another wave of COVID-19, which some epidemiologists say is already happening in provinces across the country.

“A majority of Canadians are worried (16 per cent) or somewhat worried (39 per cent) that this fall there will be another COVID-19 wave that will be serious enough to restore restrictions such as mandatory mask wearing, social distancing and the limiting of gatherings, while about two in five are not worried (23 per cent) or somewhat not worried (19 per cent),” the survey states.

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