Unusually heavy snowfall┬атАФ up to 27 centimetres by 4 p.m. Tuesday тАФ across the southern part of British Columbia┬аbrought the Vancouver International Airport to a screeching halt Tuesday morning.
At 7:30 a.m., all flights from YVR were suspended, and┬аthe majority of┬аoutgoing flights were either cancelled or delayed throughout the day.
In a release, WestJet says there were 210 cancellations on Tuesday, mainly due to disruptions in Vancouver and frigid temperatures in Calgary and Edmonton. There were also 146 flight cancellations on Monday and 104 on Sunday.
Passengers reported all kinds of horror stories:┬аbeing stranded at the airport,┬аwaiting on the tarmac for up to 12 hours, or sleeping on a baggage carousel.
Now for those who are stuck, anxiously waiting to see if they’ll be able to get to friends and families over the holidays: what’s next?┬а
In an email, YVR spokesperson Megan Sutton said passengers┬аshould check their┬аflight status directly with their airline.
“We are asking people to please not come to YVR if you do not absolutely need to,” she said.
Duncan Dee, former chief operating officer for Air Canada, said the weather and┬аcomplete operational shutdown Tuesday morning don’t bode well for travellers.
“For people who have delayed or cancelled flights at this point in time, the chances of them getting to their destination from Vancouver anywhere east is very slim,” he said in an interview.
“So if they haven’t already travelled, if they were impacted by the delays and cancellations, airlines will very unlikely have seats to put them on to get them where they need to go by Christmas.”
Airlines to rebook flights within 48 hours
According to new Canadian regulations that came into effect Sept. 8, airlines must try┬аto rebook cancelled flights within 48 hours.
Even if the cancellations┬аare┬аdue to reasons outside of the company’s control тАФ in this case, heavy snowfall тАФ┬аanyone who isn’t put┬аon a new flight within two days is entitled to a refund or new travel arrangements at no additional cost.
The new rules are an extension of stricter air passenger rights laid out by the federal government┬аin 2019.
According to the┬аCanadian Transportation Agency, a quasi-judicial tribunal and regulator tasked with enforcing the regulations and settling disputes between airlines and customers, in the event of delays or cancellations, airlines must:┬а
- Communicate key information.
- Provide assistance.
- Offer alternate travel arrangements or a refund.
- Pay compensation for the inconvenience.
Passengers are supposed┬аto be given a clear explanation for the disruption and updates at least every 30 minutes, until a new departure time┬аor flight arrangement has been determined.
Airlines are also required to provide a reasonable amount of free food and drinks while passengers are waiting.
The CTA says large airlines have to book passengers on the next available flight they are operating,┬аor a flight by an airline they have a commercial agreement with.
The new flight has to take a reasonable route from the airport to the passenger’s destination, and depart within 48 hours of the event that caused the delay or cancellation.
Refunds required┬аwithin 30 days
If the airline can’t meet that obligation, it can pay out of pocket to put the passenger on a similar flight operated by any airline, or pay for the passenger to be brought to another airport that has a flight going to their destination.
The CTA says refunds cover whatever portion of a ticket┬аwasn’t used and go to the person who originally purchased it.
Airlines can offer travel vouchers instead, but only if they don’t expire, and if both parties agree in writing to opt for a voucher rather than a refund.
The airline has 30 days to pay out the passenger in cash, credit or┬аtravel vouchers.
When passengers are delayed to the point where their ticket no longer serves its purpose тАФ say┬аthe date of an event they were travelling for has┬аalready passed тАФ┬аthe airline has to send the passenger back to their point of origin for free and refund the entire ticket.
Passengers can file┬аa claim for compensation up to┬аone year from the date a┬аflight was delayed or cancelled. The┬аairline then has 30 days to respond, paying out what’s owed, or contesting the claim and explaining┬аwhy it believes compensation isn’t due.
If┬аflight plans were disrupted and a passenger feels the airline hasn’t met its obligations or has unfairly denied compensation, the CTA┬аrecommends contacting┬аthe airline┬аin writing.
If a passenger doesn’t┬аhear back within 30 days or are still unsatisfied with the company’s explanation, they┬аcan file a complaint┬аwith the regulatory agency.
The CTA┬аhas called the new rules a win for passengers, but some consumer advocates feel┬аthey don’t go far enough, and have said the agency should be stricter on airlines and more efficient in reviewing disputes and getting┬аpassengers paid out.
This past summer, the CTA was dealing with a┬аbacklog of 18,200 complaints.
