Mike Wazny was about to try to order a pizza.
Had he not finally opened the only restaurant at Greater Moncton’s Romeo LeBlanc International Airport, he and his girlfriend would have waited at least nine hours without food.
Wazny and his girlfriend were on their way to Winnipeg after a trip east when their flight was delayed in Moncton.
“People were starting to worry because they couldn’t eat or anything to eat,” he said.
Many traveling to Canada right now are struggling with delayed flights, cancellations, long lines and lost luggage.
But the lack of airport staff is causing one more problem in Moncton: limited dining options.
Moncton Airport has not been able to reopen its Tim Hortons location since the pandemic due to staff shortages. Airport president Courtney Burns said the food service is actively recruiting staff and hopes to reopen in July, though that date is not firm.
Moncton Airport will launch a new food and beverage service in June. (Alexandre Silberman / CBC)
“A couple of chocolate bars for the whole airport”
The airport’s only other restaurant, Bistro Altitude, opened late Tuesday due to staffing issues. When it opened a little before 2 p.m., Wazny said two big gentlemen ran the food service and offered a limited menu.
“I’ll be honest with you, I have to congratulate these two gentlemen, they’ve gotten along really well and they’ve done a good job.”
For a while, though, Wazny didn’t know if the restaurant would open.
He said as some Air Canada flights were delayed, including his own, hundreds of people began looking for food options and ended up queuing for a single vending machine, almost emptying it.
“There [wasn’t] there’s a lot left, aside from maybe a couple of chocolate bars for the whole airport, ”he said.
Limited options
Moncton Airport is not close to any food options, Wazny said, so he did not want to leave.
In the future, he said he will remember that travel experience and adjust his plans, maybe pack more food so he has healthier options.
“It’s been a little daunting,” Wazny said of his experience. Due to flight delays, he and his girlfriend lost their connecting flight to Montreal and will have to spend the night in the city, missing one of their vacation days.
Courtney Burns, president and CEO of Greater Moncton International Airport Romeo LeBlanc, said she expects Tim Hortons to reopen in July. (Alexandre Silberman / CBC)
Burns said returning from COVID-19, Moncton Airport is struggling to attract staff.
Next week, however, he said the airport plans to launch a pre-security food and beverage service that offers things like coffee, smoothies and food that passengers can only pick up and leave.
“We are desperately trying to solve the food and beverage problem at the airport,” he said.