EDITORIAL – Air Canada’s suspension of Kamloops service should be no surprise

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

WHY IS ANYONE SURPRISED that Air Canada is suspending flights to and from Kamloops effective Jan. 23?

All the travel restrictions, including the requirement for COVID tests, quarantines and a general inclination for people to stay closer to home, have made it very hard for airlines to keep flying.

In an interesting turn of phrase, Air Canada says demand for air services is currently “stifled.” No kidding. Air traffic is generally down more than 90 per cent.

It’s tempting to be angry at this decision and to talk about the responsibility of Air Canada to the community but airlines don’t operate based on responsibility to communities — they go where the money is.

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Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.