More passengers dealing with travel delays at Pearson Airport ahead of forecasted Ontario storm
Posted Dec 21, 2022 2:42 pm.
Delays at the airport continue ahead of a forecasted storm Friday that could potentially ground even more flights.
One family of four still hasn’t reached their destination of London, England, after departing from Saskatoon more than two days ago. “We’ve been wearing the same clothes for three days,” Heather told CityNews.
Their original flight was cancelled due to staffing shortages.
The family said they were hopeful for their first trip as a family in years and are disappointed it’s been both cut short and made more expensive as a result of the delays.
“All in all, the entire delay is going to cost us upwards of a thousand dollars extra that we hadn’t planned for,” said Heather. “We heard about all the nightmares of travelling, and we hoped it wouldn’t happen for us … doing it with two kids just adds another layer.”
It wasn’t hard to find other passengers at Pearson Airport in a similar situation.
RELATED: Travellers at Toronto Pearson airport irked by ongoing delays ahead of holidays
After facing delays getting to Toronto, a group of almost 10 people travelling to Montego Bay say they were left behind with no explanation from the airline.
“We’re told that the flight is closed, and there’s nobody to talk to,” said one of the travellers. “I looked at the board, and I saw the flight that we were scheduled to be on, which they said we couldn’t be on; it was sitting on the tarmac. It was delayed, and they still wouldn’t even let us go on the flight.”
Air Canada said they expect 2.23 million people set to fly between Wednesday and Jan. 8, but a storm set to hit southern Ontario on Friday could bring about another round of disruptions.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Toronto and much of southern Ontario, proposing residents avoid non-essential travel before Christmas.
The west coast has been pummelled with 30 cm of snow this week. It appears to be having a trickle-down effect and impacting a number of flights in Toronto.
On Sunday, frustrated passengers were captured on camera chanting curses at Sunwing after waiting over three hours for their baggage.
Sanjit witnessed the ordeal while waiting for her own bags with a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old.
“They were hungry at that point, everyone was crying. There wasn’t a single child in there that wasn’t crying at a certain point. Food options are very limited at that point; it was very stressful for parents; you could see it on their faces,” said Sanjit.
Another passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, was also forced to wait hours after returning home from Jamaica.
“This was a demonstration of neglect and abuse of basic human rights on Sunwing’s behalf due to the lack of communication, and utter dysfunctionality, that left us comprehensively barren from empathy and human resolve to try and rectify the incredibly unhealthy and stressful situation(s),” they shared in a statement with CityNews.
Sunwing said due to “recent weather events and resulting crew constraints across key Canadian gateways,” a number of flights have been impacted by delays.
They said some passengers may be eligible for compensation depending on the circumstances of the flight delays.
“Passengers may submit a claim for compensation or a refund through our website. Claims must be submitted a minimum of 48 hours after the flight arrives at its destination.”
“We continue to monitor the situation closely both locally and in destination, and anticipate restoring regular service in the coming days,” the statement continued.
While bad weather isn’t covered under federal air passenger protection rules, travel insurance could offer protection.
“Depending on the policy, bad weather or anything that is nature-related or natural causes can be covered, especially if your flight is interrupted or your trip is interrupted or cancelled due to unforeseen events,” said Omar Kaywan, co-founder of Goose Insurance.
A statement from Air Canada suggests nearly 600 flights haven’t been completed over the last five days, while WestJet said 86 flights have so far been cancelled Wednesday, a number that’s expected to rise throughout the day.
It said 240 flights were grounded Tuesday due to disruptions in Vancouver along with frigid temperatures in Calgary and Edmonton, while 250 flights were cancelled Sunday and Monday.
“I know that a lot of the airlines are doing their best, but, with that being said, there is a lack of communication that is very frustrating to passengers,” added Kaywan.
“There are a lot of passengers, thousands of passengers, who are still waiting to hear back from the airlines in terms of what the next step is.”
With files from The Canadian Press
