Tips for travelling on one of the busiest long weekends of the year in Ottawa

Long-Weekend Travel Headaches Ottawa travellers say airport delays are making long-weekend travel a challenge. Natalie Van Rooy reports.

It’s one of the busiest weekends of the year for travel, and experts say you’ll want to pack your patience if you’re heading out on the road or to the airport.

Traffic snarls, flight delays, and even lost luggage could be a possibility.

"It’s the first summer I’ve been home to Newfoundland in three years so I’m pretty grateful and pretty excited," said Sonya Billard, who was travelling through the Ottawa International Airport on Sunday.

Amber McCabour’s family is also flying for the first time since the pandemic.

"It was a direct flight there and we got delayed almost six hours which unfortunately was not ideal,” McCabour said, describing the wait for the flight to Halifax.

While delays and cancellations remain a possibility, travellers are also remaining mindful of the risk of lost or delayed luggage. Some of the country’s biggest airport terminals have been filled with luggage that was delayed this summer.

It’s why some are choosing to not check a bag.

Travel expert, Elliot Finkelmann, advises writing your phone number or email on the exterior of your luggage in the event that it is lost or delayed, to help speed up the process.

If your bag is lost, Air Passenger Rights advocate Gabor Lukacs says you can take action.

“If their bag does not arrive with them, then the airline is liable up to $2,300 Canadian per passenger for interim expenses that they occur,” said Lukacs.

Experts say other ways to ensure a smooth trip include checking in early, avoiding tight layovers, and having paper back-ups of all of your documentation.