After several flight delays and cancellations, a couple from the Quebec region decided to take drastic measures to return to Pont-Rouge: they took an Uber for more than 800 kilometers.
Mélissa St-Laurent and her husband were due to return from a trip to Florida via San Antonio last Sunday, but things didn’t go as planned.
“When we arrived at the airport, they already informed us that our flight had been canceled and that they would transfer us to a new flight,” she explains. Our flight was supposed to be at 2:30am but it was delayed to 3:30am and then to 4:30am.
The flight was eventually canceled and delayed again the next day.
The couple was finally able to travel to New York on Tuesday.
But further delays and cancellations on Wednesday due to wildfire-related weather conditions are prompting Quebecers to turn to Uber’s option.
“When our driver arrived, we explained our story to him and then asked him to take us to customs,” says Ms St-Laurent. He offered to pick up his passport to take us home.”
The total bill is 1,100 US dollars or 1,450 Canadian dollars.
“I contacted my insurance company and they told me to file my claim and they sent me all the paperwork that I need to do, so that’s going to be another story,” she continues.
However, Mélissa St-Laurent says she has fond memories of her trip.
“It just makes us nervous about traveling again,” she says.
United Airlines declined our request for an interview on the subject.
Watch the full report in the video above.