Long lines at Alberta airports as flights cancelled, delayed

Airline passengers showing up at Alberta's two largest airports are facing flight delays and cancellations because of stormy weather in other parts of the country.

Coastal snowstorms threw holiday travel plans into disarray right across the country over the weekend.

Websites for both the Calgary Airport Authority and Edmonton International Airport were showing delayed and cancelled flights Monday morning.

Travellers and anyone heading to the airport to pick up friends and relatives are advised to call ahead or check the airports' websites, and leave lots of time to get to the airport and to departure gates.

WestJet Airlines spokesman Richard Bertram said the airline hopes to make up for cancelled flights before Christmas Eve by adding extra flights.

"Regardless of whether it's a weather problem or … a mechanical problem, we're putting people up in hotels overnight and giving them meal vouchers, trying to make their stay at the airport or in the city a little more comfortable until such time as we can get them out on the next flight."

'This has been the worst airport experience.' —Bev Bowden, traveller

Angela Mah, a spokeswoman for Air Canada, said in a written statement that the airline is also looking at adding extra flights.

"We have all hands on deck, and we remain focused on ensuring that our customers get to their destination as soon as humanly possible, barring any further deterioration in weather," she said.

"This is an evolving situation, and now that the majority of storms have passed, we are now looking at where we can add additional flights and/or larger aircraft on routes to accommodate passengers who have been delayed by weather, to get them on a flight as soon as possible."

At the Calgary airport, people were waiting two or three hours in line to check in on Monday morning.

Esther Karasova, her husband and their two children, a baby and a three-year-old,  waited patiently at the back of a long and winding line, hoping to get to Kamloops for Christmas via Vancouver.

Only one runway was operating at the Vancouver International Airport, causing delays for people heading to or travelling through that city.

"It feels like the line is moving a little bit, so I am hoping that means it is good news, but I really haven't heard," said Karasova.

At the front of another long line, the Bowden family had been waiting more than two hours to board a plane for Jamaica. "This has been the worst airport experience," said Bev Bowden.

On Sunday, Melissa Sullivan was waiting for a flight from Calgary to Vancouver so she could catch a connecting flight to get home to New Zealand in hopes of surprising her family for Christmas.

"We've told them January that we're coming home, so hopefully we can get there and still surprise them. Otherwise it's just been a waste of time," she said.

A spokeswoman for the airport said it was the busiest time of year, with about 40,000 passengers a day expected to pass through.