A few extra days in Cuba this time of year sounds like it would be paradise. However, for stranded Sunwing travellers, it’s been a nightmare.
“We’ve always dreamed of having an extra free day because the flight’s delayed but we’re looking at four days now,” said Chris Radford, who is trying to get back to London, Ont. with his group of eight people from Cayo Coco Cuba.
“We were supposed to come home Wednesday, but I started getting update after update that our flight was delayed, delayed, delayed. Then they canceled it altogether. The next day, we were told they were going to put us on another flight that got canceled.”
After days of cancellations, some Sunwing flights have resumed operations to Toronto’s Pearson Airport but many travelers in sunny destinations still have no idea when they are going to get home.
Greg Horton of Strathroy, Ont. is dealing with the same situation in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
He went south for a wedding and was supposed to come home Wednesday. He got a big surprise at the airport when he arrived for his scheduled flight.
“We were at the airport at 3:00 a.m. and it became apparent that no one was there,” said Horton.
“There was no security, no Sunwing staff. We realized some people had boarding passes and others didn’t and there was no contact with Sunwing as far as when the plane was coming.”
“We waited at the airport for about seven hours,” he continued. “That’s when we were told that no plane was coming and we were to go back to the hotel.”
He described the way they were treated as “cattle.”
“People were forced to lay on the ground, and elderly people were looking for a place to sit. They found a few chairs and brought them into the line, but 15 minutes later the staff from the airport came and said they couldn’t have those chairs and took them away from them.”
Horton said the staff at the hotel have been great, and they are getting their rooms taken care of, but he’s still trying to find answers as to when he can get home.
“When we came back to the hotel, we can’t find the Sunwing reps anywhere,” said Horton.
“It became apparent they moved to a different room or different office. When asked if anything like that had ever happened before, hotel staff said ‘No’.”
The small business owner said he’s lost more than 30 hours of unpaid work.
Horton said, “Flight WG 733 shows on the board in Pearson to be landing here and taking us home at 6. I’ve heard that before so I’m not exactly confident, but the fact it’s showing on the board at Pearson at least ignites some hope.”
Radford’s family hasn’t even seen that glimmer of hope.
“I went down to speak to the Sunwing rep, and I got a hold of her at home, but she just told me to sit and wait,” said Radford.
He could have been home by now, but that would have required booking new flights on a different airline which would have cost more than $10,000.
“It was $1,200 each person, one-way plus expenses,” said Radford.
“That would shoot us to Montreal, but we still would have to get from Montreal to London. We’re looking at $12,000 to $13,000 in the end and I don’t have that kind of money. That was the only option I was given by the travel agent. I just don’t know why Sunwing can’t go on their website and tell people the truth. That’s what’s frustrating.”
When CTV London reached out to Sunwing for comment, they provided the following statement:
Sunwing Airlines has been actively working to recover operations following the extreme weather events recently experienced in regions across Canada. These extreme weather disruptions severely limited our ability to reposition aircraft and crew to other airports to help alleviate the backlog in flights, and adversely limited our ability to reprotect passengers on alternate carriers given widespread flight cancellations which brought on additional operational complexities with regards to crew constraints and extremely limited hotel capacity.
The safety and comfort of our customers remains our highest priority. Sunwing Airlines is focusing all available resources on safely returning our customers home from their destinations down south, including those currently delayed in Montego Bay and Cayo Coco who are expected to travel northbound today. During this challenging time, our dedicated in-destination teams have worked diligently to provide accommodations and transfers for all impacted passengers, and they are being taken care of to the best of our ability.
We recognize these extreme circumstances have affected our valued customers, and sincerely apologize for the disruption to their travel plans. We truly appreciate our customers' patience as we work tirelessly to get them home safely.
— Sunwing Media
