Jazz delays plans to fly out of Toronto Island airport

A month after Air Canada Jazz announced it would resume flights from Toronto's downtown island airport, the regional carrier has grounded its plans, leaving some customers fed up with the carrier.

The regional airline announced the delay in its plans Tuesday, blaming what it calls the "intransigence" of the Toronto Port Authority for refusing to approve a lease that would allow the carrier to use the island facilities.

According to the airline, the authority "has refused to allow Jazz to reinstate service at the airport unless it agrees to a secret commercially restrictive commercial carrier operating agreement."

But Air Canada passengers are holding the carrier responsible for the inconvenience.

Martin Low, who lives inOttawa and works in Toronto, flies between the cities once or twice a week.

In February, Air Canada Jazz cancelled its service at the Toronto City Centre Airport after the Toronto Port Authority unexpectedly terminated its lease.

As a result, Low and many others were forced to fly out of Pearson International Airport,about 25kilometres west ofdowntown Toronto.

'Disappointed in Air Canada'

When the carrier announced it was resuming service at the island airport, Low double-checked with Air Canada and then booked return flights until the end of November.

"I'm pretty disappointed in Air Canada," said Low. "When they were advertising the resumption of their flights starting on August 28, they certainly didn't say subject to some as yet unfulfilled commitments that we are working on."

In a news release, Air Canada Jazz said customers can still use their tickets to fly out of Pearson International Airport or have their ticket refunded.

But the extra half-hour of travel time to Pearson in comparison to the downtown airport makes the trip costly and inconvenient for Low.

He is upset because he could have booked flights out of the downtown airport with Porter Airlines.

Air Canada's flights to Montreal from the island airport ended four years ago, and Ottawa service stopped this spring when a regional startup carrier, Porter Airlines, took over the facility previously used by Jazz.

Neither Air Canada nor the Toronto Port Authority was available for comment.