Things are slowly improving in Montreal and other major Canadian airports - but there is still a way to go before normalcy is fully restored to pre-pandemic levels.

About 43 percent of flights to Trudeau International Airport were delayed during the week ending Sunday, while 7 percent were completely canceled, according to figures collected by Fredericton-based analytics company Data Wazo - an improvement from late June.

On the other hand, Data Wazo numbers showed 37 percent of domestic flights were delayed last week and 10 percent canceled, down from 43 percent and 25 percent respectively for the week ending June 28.

Airlines including Air Canada, Lufthansa, and British Airways have canceled thousands of flights from their summer schedules in recent weeks to ease pressure caused by countless delays and cancellations at airports worldwide.

On Monday, London Heathrow Airport - the busiest European airport - apologized to passengers whose flight schedules changed due to staffing shortages and warned it might ask airlines to cancel more flights if chaos continues.

On another front, Montreal-based travel agent Gina Ray said Monday in an interview: "Dorval may have improved a bit, but we still have the rest of the world to worry about."

Adding, "Travel has returned, and people have a huge pent-up demand, but the industry doesn't seem ready for it."

Adding, "There are not enough staff and service is not always available, despite post-COVID prices being high and business being good."

Additionally, COVID is coming back. Do you think things are improving? No, not yet anyway."

Meanwhile, Éric Forest, spokesperson for Aéroports de Montréal, said Monday via email, "While improvements were noted at Trudeau Airport last week, the situation remains difficult in the current context, especially during peak periods."

Air Canada did not immediately respond to an email request for comment on these claims.

It was also noted that screening delays in Montreal are low, although still below national standards.

On the other hand, the Canadian Transportation Agency said on Friday in a statement that about 70 percent of passengers at Trudeau Airport were screened within 15 minutes during the week from June 27 to July 3.

This represents less than the 80 percent rate recorded at Canadian airports.

The Canadian Transportation Agency said the percentage of passengers waiting 30 minutes or more at Trudeau Airport is now less than 2 percent.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority said nearly 1,200 screening officers have been appointed by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority since April.

But it is unclear how many of these have been deployed to work at Trudeau Airport.

ADM argues that comprehensive background checks make airport staff hiring a lengthy and complex process.

Forest said, "Employees must not only be trained but also granted access to work in restricted areas after a thorough investigation by the Canadian Transportation Agency."

Explaining, "The industry lost many employees during the pandemic and new staff now have to take some time to familiarize themselves with the airport environment on a schedule that is often unusual."

Forest added that recent schedule changes announced by carriers "should ease some of the pressure on the system and help restore balance for the benefit of passengers."

Even with reduced delays, lost luggage remains a major concern for travelers.

Numerous news reports have shown piles of unclaimed luggage waiting at airports like Toronto Pearson International Airport.

On another note, Ray, a travel consultant and cruise specialist at Direct Travel, said one of her clients was worried about flying Air Transat to Barcelona and not being able to retrieve checked bags in time to board a cruise ship.

Ray also said another client recently started a three-week trip to Europe with just a carry-on bag out of fear of ultimately losing their checked luggage.

Even the carry-on option doesn't always work, as some airlines have started forcing passengers to check their bags.

Ray said, "I'm dealing with a lot of things."

Adding, "If you check that bag and your flight is canceled, it's not easy to get it back."