70 per cent of Canadians say airport situation has become global embarrassment: poll
A large majority of Canadians believe the delays and other shenanigans occurring at the country’s major airports have become a global embarrassment, according to a new poll, and a similarly large group say they’re avoiding airports altogether.
Ipsos says in a new poll that 70 per cent of Canadians now believe “the situation at Canadian airports is an embarrassment to Canada,” and nearly 60 per cent of respondents are avoiding flying until they see improvements.
The stories of missed connections, lost bags, cancellations, and delays, sometimes prompting people to sleep on floors of airport terminals, have been cropping up for months as travel restrictions loosened earlier in 2022.
News reports of the delays appear to be displacing the actual impact of the occurrences themselves, with Ipsos finding that five per cent of respondents strongly agreed they’ve been personally impacted by delays while travelling through a Canadian airport, but close to 60 per cent say they will avoid entering an airport for the time being as a result.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
When asked who was to blame for the situation at airports, 39 per cent of respondents said the airports themselves, the federal government, airlines and Canadians who were out of practice with how to conduct themselves while travelling were each equally to blame.
Narrowing it down to specific issues at airports, a plurality (34 per cent and 44 per cent) placed blame for lost baggage or cancellations with the airlines, while 34 per cent blamed the federal government for slowdowns at customs.
When it came delays at security checkpoints, 33 per cent of respondents blamed airports and 23 per cent blamed the federal government.
When asked how long the problems at airports may last, 55 per cent of respondents said they agreed it was a temporary issue that could be largely solved by September, while 45 per cent said the problems would last beyond summertime.
People sleep on a bench as they wait at Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport, in Montreal, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Only 37 per cent of respondents said they thought the federal government was doing enough to address the situation at airports.
The poll also asked a darker question of respondents, probing whether they thought the slowdown at airports was “just the start of a bunch of problems with the delivery of basic public services” in Canada.
It found 17 per cent of respondents strongly agreed with that statement and another 49 per cent agreed somewhat.
The groups that agreed most with that statement were residents of Atlantic Canada (72 per cent) and people who lived in households with incomes of more than $100,000. (71 per cent).
Ipsos conducted the poll between July 12 and 13, using interviews with 1,001 Canadian adults, split to represent the country’s demographics.
It is considered accurate +/- 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 had all Canadian adults been polled.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.