Thousands of Sunwing passengers are still hoping they will be able to salvage their holidays in the South as the airline tries to tackle system-wide technical problems affecting check-in and boarding processes.
As chaos and confusion continues at airports across Canada, some travelers are complaining that their trips are being shortened by days, or have been canceled altogether, while others wait for the north at the resorts of the south. are stranded.
Rory Maguire was waiting at Toronto Person International Airport to fly to Cuba when his flight was rescheduled nine times. He finally got on a plane today, 30 hours after his flight, saying Sunwing provided him and his girlfriend with food and a hotel room.
“We got food at the airport, they fed us dinner, and they gave us a hotel room last night, which was great for keeping our heads up,” Maguire said.
“All passengers affected by flight delays of more than three hours will be compensated,” Sunwing tweeted this afternoon after passengers flooded Sunwing with complaints about delays.
The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) said on Tuesday that a passenger may be entitled to a full refund if a flight is delayed by more than one day, under provincial law.
“If a consumer’s journey is delayed by 24 hours or more under provincial regulations, our provincial law requires a full and immediate refund to the customer,” said TICO President Richard Smart.
TICO said that if a flight is delayed or canceled, the airline may also offer passengers other options instead of a refund, such as a voucher or another form of compensation, but the passenger must agree to the terms.
Under federal regulations, the airline may pay $500 to $1,000 for unexpected delays and out-of-pocket costs.
Gabor Lukak, president of Air Passenger Rights, said getting money isn’t always easy and sometimes passengers have to go to small claims court to get compensation.
“The airline must compensate for the inconvenience caused to the passengers under the Air Passenger Safety Rules,” Lukas said. “The biggest problem we are facing in Canada is the lack of enforcement.”
While many passengers will have purchased travel cancellation insurance, Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure, said it is the airline that will have to pay compensation in this instance.
“These travelers have been disrupted all week and some of them can’t really go on their vacation. Time will tell how Sunwing will deal with this,” Firestone said.
Sunwing also said that today customers can make a one-time change in their departure date at no extra charge.
Anyone flying Sunwing over the next few days is being asked to check their flight status before heading to airports and visit Sunwing’s website for more information.
