Pearson airport officials say flight schedules are getting back to normal Thursday after hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled this week due to the extreme cold and a decision to halt North American arrivals.
By mid-morning, the airport’s website listed a few dozen cancellations or delays but not as many as it did earlier in the week when thousands of passengers were stranded for hours or days and airlines played catch-up to get them on their way.
Airlines are still asking passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
This week's backlog developed as planes were grounded and airfield operations slowed down at Pearson International Airport and airports across Eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. due to the cold or heavy snow.
Airline employees have taken the brunt of passengers' frustration or anger and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority has been criticized for implementing a ground stop that halted arrivals from North American cities most of Tuesday morning when the wind chill lingered around -40.
Critics pointed to frigid Canadian cities such as Winnipeg, which has a smaller airport with less air traffic, saying their airports continue to function when they frequently endure similar wind chills.
GTAA officials say the ground stop was necessary to protect workers from the cold and because equipment was freezing.
When the wind chill hits -40, exposed skin can freeze in as little as five to 10 minutes.
Region emerges from deep freeze
Toronto has emerged from a winter deep freeze and is set to go from unusually cold weather to unusually warm weather that is expected to bring freezing drizzle and periods of rain.
Environment Canada is predicting a high of -5 C on Thursday with a wind chill of about -12.
The temperature is expected to rise to 2 C on Friday (yes, that’s above the freezing mark) but there is a 60 per cent chance of light snow or freezing drizzle.
On Saturday, the high will be 9 C but there will be periods of rain, Environment Canada says.
Normal temperatures for this time of year are highs of -2 C and lows of -9 C.
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