Sunwing’s accumulated flight delays due to the recent storm challenged German Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, who described the situation as “unacceptable”.
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Hundreds of Canadian passengers have been stranded in Mexico following the airline’s decision to cancel their flight, with no precise information on when they might finally be able to return home.
Photo archive, agency QMI (Joël Lemay)
Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra
“The current situation is not acceptable. Canadians need to be given the information they need to return home safely. Airlines also need to keep passengers informed when it comes to providing a service for which they have been paid,” Minister Omar Alghabra said on Twitter on Wednesday.
Canadians are patient with weather disruptions, but they expect their airlines to keep them informed and manage those disruptions accordingly. I am very concerned about the current situation at Sunwing.
— Omar Alghabra (@OmarAlghabra) December 28, 2022
He took the opportunity to remind that passengers can exercise their rights under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, which define the standards in the event of a problem on flights.
Threats from Sunwing Employees
In Cancun, a Toronto family with a five-month-old baby who was stranded in Mexico after their Sunwing flight was canceled reported threats from airline employees.
A Sunwing representative reportedly told them they would stay in Mexico “forever” if they didn’t stop protesting.
“I was devastated. I paid Sunwing to fly me back to Toronto. I’m not asking for any favors,” Ritesh Bhatia told CTV News on Wednesday take care of the baby”.
The video shows Mr Bhatia’s son Rumi crying in his arms as he speaks to an airline representative on Christmas Eve, days after they were unable to return from a holiday in Cancun that was due to end on December 21.
A passenger told CTV News she also saw the altercation. “I didn’t take it as a joke,” she said. I took it as “we’re not in Canada, I don’t quite understand what the laws are here and what could happen to me if we say the wrong thing or upset the wrong person”.