Tips for travelling on one of the busiest long weekends of the year in Ottawa
It’s one of the busiest weekends of the year for travel, and experts say you’ll want to pack your patience if you’re heading out on the road or to the airport.
Traffic snarls, flight delays, and even lost luggage could be a possibility.
"It’s the first summer I’ve been home to Newfoundland in three years so I’m pretty grateful and pretty excited," said Sonya Billard, who was travelling through the Ottawa International Airport on Sunday.
Amber McCabour’s family is also flying for the first time since the pandemic.
"It was a direct flight there and we got delayed almost six hours which unfortunately was not ideal,” McCabour said, describing the wait for the flight to Halifax.
While delays and cancellations remain a possibility, travellers are also remaining mindful of the risk of lost or delayed luggage. Some of the country’s biggest airport terminals have been filled with luggage that was delayed this summer.
It’s why some are choosing to not check a bag.
Travel expert, Elliot Finkelmann, advises writing your phone number or email on the exterior of your luggage in the event that it is lost or delayed, to help speed up the process.
If your bag is lost, Air Passenger Rights advocate Gabor Lukacs says you can take action.
“If their bag does not arrive with them, then the airline is liable up to $2,300 Canadian per passenger for interim expenses that they occur,” said Lukacs.
Experts say other ways to ensure a smooth trip include checking in early, avoiding tight layovers, and having paper back-ups of all of your documentation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.