Travellers grounded as Sask. airports try to deal with mass delays, cancellations
Snowstorm that paralyzed Vancouver's airport leads to problems across the country
Emma Hart is on her way to sunny and warm Cancun, Mexico, for the holidays — or at least she's trying to.
Hart, who's originally from Swan River, Man., and her family drove to Regina because its airport is closest. They were supposed to take off on a direct flight at 10 a.m. Monday, but they will remain grounded in Regina until at least 2 p.m. Tuesday.
"It was just a really expensive trip and to lose a day, that was really disappointing for us," Hart said. "I would like to be on a beach with a drink right now."
Sunwing has not been forthcoming with information about the delays, she says, but some answers would help the situation.
UPDATE (0730): The winter storm and severe snowfall has had an unprecedented impact on flights and operations at YVR, with mass cancellations. Travel continues to be significantly impacted this morning & we anticipate cancellations to continue through the day and the week ahead.
—@yvrairportA snow storm in Vancouver has grounded departing flights, and the Vancouver airport temporarily suspended arriving flights early Tuesday morning as it worked with airlines to deplane passengers and deliver luggage.
The trickle-down effect is wreaking havoc on Canada's airline system. Calgary's airport is trying to pick up some of load, but Saskatoon airport attendants told CBC News that Calgary is nearing its limit.
The Saskatoon and Regina airports are operating as normal Tuesday, according to spokespeople from each airport.
However, the situation is trapping some travellers in the Saskatchewan cold as each airport deals with multiple delays and cancellations to major hubs and sunshine destinations such as Phoenix, Ariz., Mexico and Cuba, according to their respective websites.
"There's definitely a frustration from customers and we understand that," said Justin Reves, the Regina International Airport's manger of customer experience and marketing.
Regina's airport is trying to lend as comfortable an experience as possible, Reves says. Some customers don't realize that the airports don't control the flights, so the airport is trying to provide whatever information it can.
The airport in Regina is smaller than those in major cities, so many planes tend to land briefly to board more passengers en route to another destination, he said. But the problem is that the planes just aren't arriving in Regina.
"That's not something we can control here at the airport," Reves said.
Shayne Procyk, from Montmartre, Sask., has also been trying to get to Cancun.
His trip was supposed to last a week, but he's been stuck in Regina for two days. The airline booked him a hotel and gave him some meal vouchers, but he's had few answers about the delays.
"I'm not really mad, because what are they going to do?" Procyk said.
Tammy Kyrylchuk, who travelled to Regina from Montreal, is less laid back.
She and her two sons arrived, but their luggage — which contained her medication and all of their winter clothes — did not.
"I need [this bag] when I get to Regina," Kyrylchuk recalled telling the airline attendants in Montreal when she checked her bag in early.
They waited for 90 minutes after the plane landed in Regina, but there was no luggage. Half the passengers were missing luggage, she says.
"I've been trying to be as optimistic as possible, but I'm tired and overwhelmed and I just want to go home," she said.
Kyrylchuk has seen many airline customers — in Regina and elsewhere — getting upset with attendants and airport staff, but she disagrees with that attitude.
She used a sports analogy: When a teammate twists an ankle, the rest of the team can't be blamed for trying to fill the void.
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With files from Laura Sciarpelletti and Dan Zakreski