As eager Canadians look to travel following two years of pandemic restrictions, one expert says long wait times for renewed passports and at airports will be the "new normal" for those taking vacations this summer.
Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure, a Toronto-based travel insurance brokerage, told CTV's Your Morning on Wednesday there simply are not enough staff at key areas in airports, such as baggage drop off, check in and security, to handle the sudden surge in travellers.
"Welcome to the new normal. It just appears that travel has come back bigger and better than ever. Sadly though, the infrastructure is not where it once was," Firestone said. "Now people are facing long lineups and run the risk of missing a flight."
The problems started in recent days and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) confirmed to CTV News Toronto on Monday that the agency is experiencing issues with staffing.
"As air travel recovers we are observing simultaneous peaks, which can result in passengers flooding more than one security checkpoint at a time, making the redistribution of resources to address these passenger volumes more challenging," the CATSA said in part in a statement.
Firestone says arriving early at the airport is the best strategy to combat the long wait times, as well as planning ahead.
"You can't get there early enough. I know it says two hours domestic, three hours international -- I don't think it's enough. You just have to be there, sit there, take your time there, rather than sitting at home and trying to time it because if you miss that flight, that plane is not waiting for you," he said.
In a statement to CTV's Your Morning, the Office of the Minister of Transport said it is aware of these issues at airports and is working with the CATSA to "to implement additional measures and resources to address delays and staffing concerns as quickly as possible."
"Our Government recognizes that as the sector carries on with its recovery, adjustments to supporting normal levels of travel continue to take place. We will continue to support the industry and ask that travellers remain patient as we work with CATSA to resolve this issue," the statement read in part.
Despite this, Firestone said he is not hopeful the issues will be rectified ahead of the summer travel season.
"This is the first two days in May and it's not traditionally a busy time and look what's happening. You only can imagine what's going to happen come summer time," he said. "I think we're going to still face this problem and all you can do to protect yourself is get [to the airport] way in advance and when you land, be prepared to sit and wait."
In addition to long lines at airports, many Canadians are reporting lengthy delays and wait times at passport offices as the federal government works to process thousands more applications over the past year.
Because Canadians were advised to avoid all non-essential travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, Firestone said people were not looking at their passports as often as they had been previously and unknowingly let the documentation expire.
Given the long wait times, Firestone said it is best not to book a trip until you have your renewed passport in hand.
"Even paying doesn't guarantee you getting an appointment and getting that passport in two days. So that's added to the list of the new normal we'll call it," he said.
If a flight is delayed or cancelled and the reason is within the airline's control and not safety-related, travellers are entitled to "a specific standard of treatment, compensation, and rebooking or a refund" under Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR).
However, if Canadians book an international trip and don't have their passport by the time of departure, Firestone says they'll be on the hook for changing their flight.
"There is no insurance in the world that's going to pay for a cancellation of a trip because you don't have a passport [or] because you're in a long lineup at security, so you have to be just prudent and get yourself organized before you travel this year," he said.
With a file from CTV News Toronto
