Air Canada Toronto Flights Delayed as Screeners Stage Slowdown

Oct. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Air Canada passengers at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport are experiencing flight delays of as long as two hours because of a job action by workers who handle security screening at checkpoints.

Employees of Garda World Security Corp., a subcontractor for the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, are involved in a “go-slow” work action, the Toronto Star reported. Backups at the checkpoints are forcing Air Canada to postpone some departures, said Peter Fitzpatrick, an airline spokesman.

“This disruption is having a significant negative effect,” Fitzpatrick said today in a telephone interview.

International and trans-border flights face the longest delays, although some domestic flights have also been affected, Fitzpatrick said. He said about 100,000 people are flying from Pearson today, an increased volume because of the Canadian long weekend for Thanksgiving.

Joe Gavaghan, a spokesman for Montreal-based Garda, didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

--Editors: Ed Dufner, Niamh Ring

To contact the reporter on this story: Sean B. Pasternak in Toronto at spasternak@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Scanlan at dscanlan@bloomberg.net.