Montreal Airline is advising travelers to check the status of their flights online amid computer problems for the second time in a week.

A total of 227 Air Canada flights, or 43% of the airline’s scheduled flights, were delayed Thursday while 34 others were canceled, according to tracking service FlightAware.com.

Air Canada Rouge also experienced 78 delays or 52% of its flights and 11 cancellations.

Air Canada said the latest problem “was in the same systems” but was unrelated to the problem that emerged last Thursday when the company grounded its planes briefly. The system is designed to communicate with aircraft and monitor their performance.

“We are in the process of updating this system with third-party technology. Air Canada will continue to work with the manufacturer to ensure system stability going forward,” the airline said in an emailed statement.

“We apologize for the impact on our customers and thank them for their patience. We’re working hard to get people up and running as soon as possible. »

Later that afternoon, she added that the planes “continued to move, albeit more slowly than normal” and that those effects would continue throughout the day.

“As a result, customers may experience delays and, in some cases, cancellations as the recovery continues,” Air Canada said. We’ve also introduced a flexible policy for those who want to change their travel plans for free. »

In April, the federal government unveiled a list of proposed reforms aimed at closing loopholes used by airlines to avoid paying fees under Ottawa’s passenger laws.

These include the ability to make passenger compensation standard in the event of a flight disruption, which would place airlines under the obligation to justify that a flight delay or cancellation is due to reasons beyond their control. Also in situations where compensation is considered justified, carriers would have to bear a higher burden of proof.

The proposals were tabled as part of Bill C-47, the Budget Implementation Act, which is awaiting a third reading in the House of Commons.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra told reporters on Thursday that passengers affected by Air Canada’s recent delays are already protected under current laws as the problem was caused by factors within the airline’s control.

He said his office had been in contact with Air Canada and had been assured that the company was aware of the “consequences of these delays”.

“I understand that they are working on the restoration [du système] as soon as possible, but I also wanted to make sure they understand their responsibilities to their passengers and make sure those affected are compensated,” he said.

With information from Émilie Bergeron in Ottawa