Failed concert, ruined vacation, big bills: Quebecers who had trusted Lynx Air to travel were left distraught Friday when the airline abruptly suspended operations.
• Also read: Lynx Air bankruptcy: Air Canada adds 6,000 “affordable” seats
• Also read: End of activities: All Lynx Air flights in Montreal-Trudeau have already been canceled
“I’ve been to every state. I was angry, then I cried,” says Alexa Liendo.
The 49-year-old Montrealer was scheduled to board a Lynx Air flight to Tampa on Friday to spend four days with her family in Florida and attend a Sting concert in the southern state on Saturday evening. -United.
On the way to Montreal-Trudeau airport, she received a simple email from the budget airline informing her that all flights, including hers, were canceled.
The day before, Lynx Air announced it was going bankrupt. The end of activities was then scheduled for Monday, leading many customers to believe that flights scheduled until then would be maintained.
“Photo from Lynx Air website”
At the airport, prices for other flights consulted by Ms. Liendo started at $800, even $1,000, well beyond her budget. She had to cancel her stay.
“I was depressed,” she admits. I wanted to see my family again, who I hadn't seen since last year. There were dinners planned and we had great concert tickets. Sting is one of my favorite artists and he’s not coming to Montreal.”
Stuck across the country
Professor John Gradek, an aircraft management specialist at McGill University, estimates that at least 10,000 Canadians were affected by the cancellation of Lynx Air flights planned for the week after the bankruptcy announcement.
Customer nightmare stories have been piling up across the country, including in Toronto, where passengers on a Lynx Air plane were told they couldn't take off, CBC reported.
Olivier Bellemare, 22, flew with Lynx Air on a trip to Western Canada, specifically to visit his cousin.
The Trois-Rivières resident experienced the same unpleasant surprise on Friday when his return flight to Montreal scheduled for the next day was canceled.
“I had to go out of my way and buy a ticket with West Jet. It cost me $600 when my first round trip flight was $500. Luckily I had saved the money. I wasn’t planning on spending it.”
Even in Florida there is chaos
Sébastien Hamel, originally from Quebec, was in Orlando on Friday and was even able to get to his boarding gate before Lynx Air let him down.
“Until 5 minutes before the supposed departure it said that the flight was on time. The plane was there and we saw the crew getting out,” says the man who shared his adventure on TikTok.
However, he never managed to get on board. “A lot of people tried to book another flight at the same time, it got stuck.”
His misadventure landed him in a cockroach-infested hotel before catching a new flight the next day for more than double what he had paid on Lynx Air.
“We ended up spending at least $600 USD ($800 CAD) more as a result,” he laments.
The federal government must intervene, says an expert
Low-cost airlines are struggling to survive in Canada as they fall victim to “predatory” practices by West Jet and Air Canada, says an expert who is calling on the federal government to intervene.
“In the last 20 years I have seen at least twenty airlines go through the same range,” says Professor John Gradek, an aircraft management specialist at McGill University.
Like Lynx Air, these companies couldn't survive because of the “predatory duopoly” practices of West Jet and Air Canada, which temporarily lowered their prices to stifle competition, Mr. Gradek explains.
“The price difference used to be about $300 one way, but last fall West Jet and Air Canada lowered their prices to $100. For me it was the beginning of the end [de Lynx Air] and me [pense] that Flair will suffer the same fate by the end of the year,” he claims.
Especially since it is difficult for any airline connecting Canadian cities to offer low prices because the distances to be covered are long and the volume of travel is lower than, for example, in Europe and the United States. .
“Too expensive” flights
Canadian consumers are the biggest losers in this context, complains Olivier Bellemare, whose return flight with Lynx Air was canceled on Friday.
“It's rare that we see anyone travel to Canada on vacation because it's too expensive for the world's middle class and inflation affects the price of everything. The entire middle class is affected by this bankruptcy.”
Professor Gradek believes that the federal government must regulate prices in order to maintain an appropriate distance between the big players and the low-cost providers, otherwise the latter will never be able to develop further in our market.
“Due to the size of our country, being able to fly is absolutely essential to Canada’s survival. The year 2023 was one of the best years for Canadians' domestic tourism spending. The reason? Flair and Lynx.”
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