Thunder Bay passengers keep calm in wake of Air Canada disruptions

Air Canada succeeded in getting an injunction forcing ground crews and baggage handlers who illegally walked off the job in Toronto and Montreal to go back to work. Its union said the strike was over, but the walkout has had a significant impact on air travel to and from Thunder Bay.

Ed Schmidtke, manager of business development for Thunder Bay International Airport, said that whenever there are flight disruptions out of Toronto "everybody suffers."

"Thunder Bay is no exception," he said. "We have a combination of cancelled flights and delayed flights. Air Canada has resumed operations, and most of the later flights today are currently showing on time."

Schmidtke said passengers should check with Air Canada or on the airport web site this afternoon to confirm flight arrival and departure times.

Many passengers who were marooned in the terminal Friday morning were able to transfer their flights to other airlines.

Schmidtke noted that everyone in the terminal was calm and polite Friday morning, despite the difficult circumstances caused by the Air Canada disruptions.

He said Air Canada has offered no-fee exchanges or reimbursements to passengers as a result of the disruption.