Originally Posted by
Transpacificflyer
Really. Is there a separate ATC system for US carriers operating in Canada, and for the aircraft that fly through Canadian airspace and who are subject to NAVCAN? If the NAVCAN system was as bad as you intimate, then all airlines would suffer and would be complaining about it.
NAVCAN isn't the cause of Air Canada not having a crew at the gate and obliging passengers to sit on the plane waiting etc. (3 of my flights in 2024). NAVCAN isn't responsible for the incompetent and inefficient boarding of pax which often deplays departures (almost all of my Canadian departures in 2024).
Blaming NAVCAN for Air Canada's dismal OTP is like an episode of my 600lb life when a patient who refuses to follow a diet blames Dr. Nowzaradan. The stark reality is that Air Canada has not made OTP a priority. Delta has and it has the results to show for it. Delta also has an aggressive preventative maintenance program which has reduced the frequency of an aircraft having issues that will impact the OTP. Again, this is not a priority at Air Canada.
As has been pointed out elsewhere on this thread over the years, there has not been much of a regulatory incentive to improve OTP. In other jurisdictions there is an incentive. US carriers have to file detailed reports every month. They are also subject to regulatory oversight in respect to lost baggage.
And in respect to NAVCAN, please listen in on the ATC at the largest and busiest of airports, Toronto Pearson. They are the model of professionalism and respect for foreign pilots who often have a poor command of the English language. Then listen in to JFK ATC, with its condescending and rude ATC, which results in delays. NAVCAN is an asset.
I don’t need to listen in on ATC, I speak with them every time I go to work. Navcan is anything but an asset.
Navcan does in fact have a huge impact on AC’s OTP. Take YYZ for example. It has been operating below its potential capacity for years because Navcan has a shortage of controllers. There are 3 East/West runways in YYZ. The last time I can remember them running triples was in 2017. This is because YYZ tower does not have enough controllers. So they can only use 2 of the 3 runways at the same time, thus reducing capacity.
At least 50% of my flights get slowed down inbound to YYZ, no matter what time of day. It may only be 3-4 minutes, but these add up.
That ground crew you are waiting on? They are likely still finishing up their previous flight, which was delayed departing because ATC delayed the aircraft inbound.
YVR has flow delays on multiple days per month, and not due to weather. They use the catchall “resource constraints”. This means not enough controllers. It’s been going on for years. This past August, YVR had flow delays on more than 50% of the days.
With the number of daily flights that AC has operating through YVR and YYZ, this has a huge impact on OTP. Even if it’s 10 minutes, it adds up as the day goes on as these delays compound.
And starting last month, Gander ATC (Navcan) started issuing flow control delays to aircraft bound for Europe and points east. My flight to DXB from YYZ last month had a “wheels up time” issued by Gander which was a 20 minute delay. I got off easy as the previous week, some flights were delayed 45 minutes to 2 hours because of Gander Center (Navcan)
Look, AC is certainly not perfect, but they are hugely dependent on 3rd party providers and it’s not fair to ignore the impact these providers have on OTP.