WestJet Flight delays only causing minor inconvenience at North Peace Airport

WestJet Airlines’ check-in services have been restored, after a temporary system outage caused flight delays and snarled travel across Canada Thursday morning.

Mike Karsseboom, managing director for North Peace Airport Services in Fort St. John, says that there have been a few minor delays on WestJet flights, but they have still been arriving and departing.

WestJet spokeswoman Morgan Bell said travellers are still being encouraged to arrive early and check their flight status before heading to the airport. She said the airline is still experiencing issues with its self-serve baggage drop at Calgary, Ottawa, Saskatoon and Halifax airports.

System outages affected both WestJet Airlines and air traffic control agency NAV Canada on Thursday, with travellers on social media reporting long lines and confusion at airports.

NAV Canada, the not-for-profit corporation responsible for air traffic control in Canadian airspace, said it was experiencing disruptions in western locations Thursday due to a service outage with its third-party telecommunications provider, Zayo. 

NAV Canada spokesman Brian Boudreau said air traffic control has reduced the flow of departures and arrivals temporarily in some locations as a result.

“Nav Canada is actively engaging Zayo to ensure every effort is being made to restore the service as soon as possible and to understand restoration timelines,” Boudreau said. 

With files from The Candian Press