Travelers had to wait more than 32 hours at Quebec International Airport before boarding a Sunwing flight bound for Punta Cana.
• Also read: Delays and Cancellation: The computer error has been corrected at WestJet
“It’s a real joke […] I’ve just lost two days of my vacation, I have five left,” Sandra Plourde said minutes before finally jumping on her plane yesterday.
Ticket holders for Flight WG446 were due to depart at 9am on Saturday, but it wasn’t until 4:40pm yesterday that the Boeing 737 finally took off for the Dominican Republic.
Asked about the reasons for the delays, Sunwing Airlines explained that since Wednesday its supplier Jeppesen has been experiencing technical difficulties that have caused its flight planning system to fail.
In addition, the company informs its customers on the side of Jeppesen, a subsidiary of Boeing, that it has been the victim of a cyber attack.
Sleep at the airport
The delays created a lot of frustration and tension in the waiting areas at Jean-Lesage Airport.
Dissatisfaction was palpable at the last announcement that her flight was postponed again. “They arrived with heavy security, that was nonsense,” Sandra Plourde said.
This one says that people were completely exhausted after spending the night awake.
“We sincerely regret that some of our customers have been affected,” Sunwing Media said in a written exchange with Le Journal.
Note that WestJet also suffered a computer failure this weekend, resulting in delays and the cancellation of at least one flight in Canada.
According to the FlightAware website, 52% of the Alberta-based airline’s flights were delayed on Saturday. However, the situation returned 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 added that some travel companies have offered full reimbursement of travel expenses when people return home without having reached their destination. “Yes, there was talk of a class action lawsuit,” Ms Plourde confirmed.
Remember that airline tickets are non-refundable, regardless of the airline, if a person exits the airport and decides to stay off their flight.
However, according to CAA Quebec, there are specific guidelines to compensate for lost hours of vacationers in the event of carrier delays.
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