Edmonton newlyweds, wedding guests ride out hurricane after WestJet strike strands them in Jamaica

As a hurricane barrelled down on the island of Jamaica Wednesday, newlyweds from Edmonton with their closest friends and family were huddled in a hotel, praying the country's airports would be still standing in the morning.

The scene was a far cry from their arrival on the idyllic island on June 24. Their week was supposed to be filled with fun and relaxation.

But when their flights were cancelled because of a surprise WestJet strike, they didn't spend an extra day sipping drinks by the water. Instead, they found themselves stranded by an unresponsive airline, spending thousands of dollars trying to get home before the storm.

"I feel guilty because I brought all these people here," said a tearful Nancee Flowers, who just days before had married Prince Flowers. "These people left their families at home, their kids."

WestJet started cancelling flights on June 28 — the day of the wedding — in reaction to a strike by the airline's mechanics union. Ten of the guests were able to fly home as planned, on either WestJet or Air Canada flights.

But the nine who'd intended to leave on Monday were out of luck.

Then the airports were shuttered

Even though the strike ended that day, nearly 300 flights were still cancelled by WestJet.

Megan Baugh, the group's travel agent with Baconko Travels, said by the time the group found out about their flights, "there were literally zero seats on any airline."

Then all three of Jamaica's international airports closed late Tuesday to prepare for a dangerous hurricane.

"Other airlines sent emergency flights to pick up their passengers," said Deedra Sparks, a member of the wedding party who lives in Vancouver. "WestJet did nothing, so we're stuck here."

Hurricane Beryl roared past Jamaica Wednesday, bringing fierce winds that topped 225 kilometres per hour, wild waves and heavy rain. The earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic, Beryl had weakened to a still-destructive Category 4 that had already left at least six people dead.

On Wednesday, Prince Flowers told CBC the group, which included his two young kids was sheltering at their hotel in Montego Bay.

"It's tense. It's almost like a war zone because everyone is in one place … people panicking and scared and all that," he said. 

'Credit cards are maxed'

Baugh said she's been working to help her clients after the cancellations. "I've been up until one o'clock in the morning and back up at 5 a.m. when I see new updates, and I still feel like after all of that … they're still sitting through a hurricane, they're still stranded, it was still unsuccessful."

"There are a lot of roadblocks and I definitely cannot do as much as I want," she added.

The group had flights booked Thursday from Montego Bay to Toronto with Air Transat, but they were cancelled Wednesday night because of weather concerns.

"Theoretically, WestJet should be the one re-protecting them on new flights and getting them home," she said. "Unfortunately during this process, WestJet has been largely uncontactable and so we've had to take measures into our own hands."

The nine guests have had to pay out of pocket for additional nights at their hotel and other flights that also ended up being cancelled. 

"Their credit cards are maxed," Baugh said. "We're talking about tens of thousands of dollars here. We're not talking about a $300 flight home."

Baugh offered them an option with Uplift where if they run out of funds, they can apply for a loan to cover travel costs. The option, though, would incur financing fees and interest charges and could affect their credit ratings, she said.

WestJet did not respond to CBC's request for comment.

It released a public statement that recovery flights to assist anyone impacted by Hurricane Beryl would be "evaluated once it is safe to resume operations."