As travellers deal with the fallout from a WestJet mechanic strike that ended over the long weekend, some flyers at the Edmonton International Airport say their families are already out thousands of dollars just trying to go on vacation.
“Since Friday, we’ve been here. The kept cancelling on us in the middle of the night, they told us to wait here since Saturday. Every single day since Saturday I’ve been on the phone for 10-15 hours trying to get a hold of a WestJet agent. They don’t answer, the phone hangs up. I have to try again,” explained one traveller CityNews spoke to at the airport.
The traveller says he’s out nearly $5,000, stuck in Edmonton on his way from Saskatoon to Puerto Vallarta. He says he doesn’t qualify for food or hotel vouchers because he’s not stuck overseas, and he was finally able to get a flight Tuesday afternoon.
“We tried to get to Puerto Callarta and they gave us a flight now — but we have to go back to Calgary, wait overnight again and then fly to Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday — so it’s going to be six to seven days we’re in the airport. “
WestJet told media they are working to restore operations but say there still will be impacts to travellers. It’s been a frustrating weekend for those abroad and at home, as well as the travel agents working to help them.
“To get through to WestJet was an impossibility. Even now, we can’t get a call until tomorrow, you leave your number and they call you tomorrow. The worst was the buy-one-get-one free companion passes — because then you have to talk to WestJet,” explained Lesley Paull.
Paull says while travellers should be getting refunds on unused portions of tickets as well as the cancelled tickets themselves, that remains to be seen.
“I say hypothetically, we’ll see if that happens. But you have to have the money to buy the ticket. If you have a family of five trying to come home, that’s super expensive if you happen to be in Disneyland or Orlando.”
For now, flyers are on their own — like one family trying to get to Phoenix from Halifax, they have been stuck in Edmonton since Saturday.
“So we stayed here 24 hours at the airport, sleeping and eating from the Circle K. Then they said they’re not going to do more re-books, more flights. So just figure it out by yourselves. “
Paying out of pocket and not even on vacation yet.
“More or less $3,000 plus the hotels and food and everything.”