New snowfall could mean further delays at Vancouver airport

The Vancouver airport was preparing for another snowstorm Tuesday night after clearing most of the backlog of travellers stranded by flight delays or cancellations in the last two days, airport officials said.

There were "very few" cancelled flights at Vancouver International Airport on Tuesday, although rebooking and check-in lineups remained long in the domestic terminal for most of the day, spokeswoman Kate Donegani said.

"Our winter operations team continues to work 24/7 to ensure the runways remain clear of snow and ice, and aircraft de-iced, so that planes can safely arrive and depart," she said.

The airport is in "full preparation" for another snowfall expected to begin in the evening and last into Wednesday, she said.

As many as 20 centimetres of snow are expected by Wednesday.

"Our runway clearing crews are out there prepping the runways with de-icing chemicals to make sure that when snow flurries and snowfall hit, that the first wave doesn't stick to the runway," said Don Ehrenholz, the airport's vice-president of operations.

About 50 airport staff handed out bottled water, blankets and snacks to stranded passengers Tuesday.

"As we move into tomorrow, passengers are still advised to check the status of their flight on their airline's website or at [the airport website] before coming to the airport," Donegani said.

When a flight has been cancelled, travellers should rebook it from home and not go to the airport, she said.

A weekend snowstorm that ripped through B.C.'s south coast created chaos at the Vancouver airport, stranding about 3,000 people overnight Sunday.

The number of stranded travellers was down to several hundred Monday night, but the anger and frustration some passengers had did not subside.

Passengers kept on plane

Passenger Dayna Wilson said her frustration was compounded by poor customer service.

"I have gotten absolutely no help. I was not even told why my flight was cancelled," she said. "I waited in line for about five hours for my baggage. I was told that my baggage got on my flight, so apparently there are flights to Toronto, just not for human beings."

Air Canada passenger Pina Belperio phoned CBC News after spending more than eight hours on board a plane waiting on the tarmac to take off.

When the passengers boarded the aircraft just after midnight they were told the aircraft had too much fuel and had to wait for a fuel truck that wouldn't arrive until 7 a.m. PT, but airline staff refused to allow the passengers to disembark, Belperio said.

The flight crew did serve some cold sandwiches and drinks but eventually ran out, meaning there would be no food or drinks for the five-hour flight to Toronto, according to Belperio.

Then, passengers had to wait for another flight crew to arrive at 8 a.m., and a short time later the flight took off. Air Canada could not be reached for comment on the delay.

Regional airports affected

Smaller airports across B.C. were also affected by the weather and the delays. 

On Tuesday morning, there were still a few delays or cancellations for departures at Victoria International Airport after hundreds of travellers were stranded or delayed.

Fred Legace, the managing director of the Kamloops airport, said that over the last few days, the airport has cancelled nearly a dozen flights.

Philip Elchitz, managing director of the Canadian Rockies International Airport near Cranbrook, said there are a fair number of people who have missed their flights in recent days.

More than 300 flights were cancelled at Pearson International Airport in Toronto after a snowstorm swept through the region Friday. Over the weekend, that was followed by delays and cancellations at most other major airports in Canada, including Calgary, Ottawa and Halifax.