Travelers had to wait more than 32 hours at Quebec International Airport before boarding a Sunwing flight to Punta Cana.
• Read also: Delays and cancellation: the computer failure corrected at WestJet
“It’s a real joke […] I have just lost two days of my vacation, I have five left,” complained Sandra Plourde a few minutes before finally jumping on her plane yesterday.
Ticket holders for flight WG446 were due to depart Saturday at 9 a.m., but it was not until 4.40 p.m. yesterday that the Boeing 737 finally took off for the Dominican Republic.
Asked about the reasons for these delays, Sunwing Airlines explained that since Wednesday its supplier Jeppesen has experienced technical difficulties which have caused a breakdown in its flight planning system.
Moreover, on the site of Jeppesen, a subsidiary of Boeing, the company informs its customers that it has been the victim of a cyberattack.
Sleep at the airport
The delays caused a lot of frustration and tension in the waiting areas at Jean-Lesage Airport.
During the last announcement explaining that their flight was once again postponed, the discontent was felt. “They arrived with heavy security, it was nonsense,” mentioned Sandra Plourde.
This one says that people were completely exhausted after spending the night up.
“We sincerely regret that some of our customers have been affected,” Sunwing Media said in a written exchange with The newspaper.
Note that WestJet also suffered a computer failure causing delays and the cancellation of at least one flight in Canada this weekend.
According to the FlightAware website, 52% of the Alberta-based carrier’s flights were delayed on Saturday. However, the situation was back to normal yesterday.
Class action
According to Sandra Plourde, Sunwing compensated travelers for meals. She now wants to be reimbursed for her lost vacation days.
She also added that some travel companies offered to reimburse the cost of the trip in full, if people returned home without reaching their destination. “Yes, people have talked about a class action lawsuit,” confirmed Mr.me Plunder.
Remember that regardless of the airline, airline tickets are not refundable if a person leaves the airport and decides to stay away from their flight.
However, according to CAA Quebec, there are policies in particular to compensate the hours lost by vacationers in the event of delays caused by the carrier.