Concerns about Labour Day travel after hours-long waits at YVR

On the heels of a weekend of lengthy, frustrating delays at Vancouver International Airport, people with Labour Day travel plans are being told to arrive hours early for their flights.

In a social media statement Monday, YVR apologized for Sunday's "challenging" delays, reiterating that they were caused by an "unexpected shortage" of security screening staff.

The shortage caused hours-long lineups to snake through the airport and sparked speculation that the employees had called in sick en masse due to an ongoing struggle over wages and working conditions.

The airport is anticipating an average of 66,000 people per day between Monday, Aug 29 and Sunday, Sept. 4, according to a media release. This is more than twice the 32,458 average of daily passengers seen in 2021. Pre-pandemic, the average was 73,404.

Anyone with a domestic flight is being asked to arrive two hours ahead of their departure while those travelling internationally are urged to show up three hours in advance.

"YVR continues to work closely with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) and its many partners to deliver a safe and seamless experience for passengers. YVR thanks staff across the airport community for their continued support with getting passengers through YVR safely and as efficiently as possible," the statement says.

In June, a national task force formed to address delays at airports, passport offices and immigration services.

"The task force discussed the underlying pandemic-related reasons for the significant surges in demand for travel and for other government services, which have been far bigger than anyone anticipated," said an update from the task force Monday.

"These unprecedented increases in demand are a global phenomenon, and have contributed to delays and problems not only for Canadians, but for citizens of other countries around the world."

Addressing shortages among security screening officers and reducing average wait times at airports were two areas where the feds touted progress. According to the statement, 1,800 new screeners have been hired since April and new employees are being allowed to work while in training. Additionally, the statement said the percentage of people waiting more than 15 minutes to be screened has decreased by six per cent since early July.