Many travellers found themselves in a game of snake at the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on Sunday morning.
People at YVR were stuck in a long, massive line-up to get through the airport's security check.
This was due to "high absenteeism by screening officers," according to Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) in a statement.
CATSA, which managers passenger security screening at Canadian airports, contracts security services through Allied Universal, a third-party company, at YVR airport.
Corim De Guzman, a Vancouver resident, was one of many people who was stuck waiting for three hours just to get to the security screening area for his flight.
"(I've) never seen the security line start at the entrance of the airport," said De Guzman.
He told the Richmond News that he arrived three and a half hours before his flight believing it would "be plenty of time."
"I expected lines to be long, but not to this extent."
In a video, taken by De Guzman, the line can be seen looping around several times in front of the check-in counters at the U.S. departures area.
He had been waiting in line since 10:45 a.m. and didn't get into the security check area until 2 p.m.
Luckily, De Guzman was able to make his flight.
"(I) went Usain Bolt mode after security. Gate was about to close but we made it," he said.
"Everyone out there wants to travel right now so I understand that airports will be busier than usual. However this was a crazy experience. Definitely a rush."
YVR said in a statement that the experience is "not common" at the airport.
"Today's congestion demonstrates the importance of finding a long-term solution for Canada's aviation ecosystem as we build back from the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic," reads the statement.
Richmond News has reached out to Allied Universal for comment.
