Canadian air passengers fed up with last minute flight cancellations
It was a frustrating weekend for anyone flying Southwest Airlines in the United States as more than 300 flights were cancelled and about 1,400 flights were delayed.
Last-minute cancellations have also been plaguing some Canadian airlines and passengers say it creates havoc as they try to scramble to rebook their travel plans.
"For our family it was devastating news," Pickering, Ont. woman Carol Everitt told CTV News Toronto.
Everitt was flying with family members to British Columbia to take her late husband Martin’s ashes to the west coast to fulfill his last wishes.
Their trip was planned for late August, but hours before they were to go to the airport they received a notice that their WestJet flight had been cancelled.
"They didn't say it was because of COVID, they didn't say the plane didn't arrive, they didn't say anything just 'Sorry there is nothing we can do,'" said Everitt.
While WestJet said they could go on another flight the next day, Everitt said she and her two family members ended up having to fly with Air Canada buying three tickets for $3,600.
"We had to book it and go because too many things were already arranged with others who also planned to be there," said Everitt.
Vanessa Stokes-Archer of Milton, Ont. flew to Halifax with her mother and twins and was to be joined a short time later by her husband, but when he went to board his Flair Airline flight it was cancelled while he was waiting at the airport.
"His flight was at 12:40 p.m. and he was told it was delayed a half an hour and then 20 minutes before that new departure time they said it was cancelled," said Stokes-Archer.
With no other Flair flight available for days, he had to search for another flight, cut his trip short and ended up paying $600 for a ticket with another airline.
"They offered no way to get him there and no compensation to help him," said Stokes-Archer.
Gabor Lukacs, president of Air Passenger Rights, said he is aware that flights are being cancelled in Canada because planes aren't full or there are staffing shortages.
"Airlines have been over-promising to the public. They have been selling tickets on flights which they don't really have the crew to operate. As a result they are cancelling flights and then trying to blame it on circumstances outside their control, which is meritless," Lukacs told CTV News Toronto.
Lukacs said when flights are cancelled passengers deserve compensation, but he said many airlines don't want to pay it.
"The laws are there, but they are not being enforced, they are not being followed," said Lukacs.
CTV News Toronto reached out to WestJet and Flair Airlines and asked why their flights were cancelled, but did not receive a response.
If your flight is cancelled in Canada, you could be eligible for up to $1,000. Lukacs advises passengers to take down as much information as possible, including added expenses and approach the airline for compensation.
Lukacs said if passengers are not compensated, they should consider going to small claims court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Drone footage shows Ukrainian village battered to ruins as residents flee Russian advance
The Ukrainian village of Ocheretyne has been battered by fighting, drone footage obtained by The Associated Press shows. The village has been a target for Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.