‘A disaster’: Passengers sleep at Vancouver International Airport after WestJet flights cancelled

With dozens of WestJet flights to and from Vancouver International Airport unceremoniously cancelled on Sunday, many travellers were forced to sleep at the airport or pay out of pocket for a flight with another airline.

Read more: WestJet mechanics’ strike leads to dozens more flight cancellations in B.C.

According to the airline’s flight status page, 46 departures were cancelled, as were 46 arrivals. A labour dispute between the airline and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association escalated Friday, just as the Canada Day long weekend began.

“It’s a disaster,” said disgruntled passenger Louisa Garcia, who slept at YVR with her husband after a 14-hour flight from Manila to Vancouver.

The couple were due to take an 8 p.m. flight Saturday to their home in Edmonton.

“When we registered the connection…we learned that it had been cancelled and they did not send us an email,” she said.

The couple had been rebooked on another flight departing on Sunday morning, but around 3am that flight was also cancelled.

They, like many other passengers, had no choice but to sleep at the airport.

“Imagine that for a very long trip, they didn’t even give us accommodation, just water, no,” Garcia said.

“The airport was full. Babies and young children were crying… It’s very uncomfortable and unfair for us because we paid for the flight.”

WestJet couldn’t guarantee the couple a flight on Sunday, and after two days of travelling, they decided to pay $1,500 for a new flight with another airline.

” We are tired “

Garcia wasn’t the only one considering booking another flight.

Mina Gadour was due to fly home to Montreal when her flight was cancelled around midnight. Many passengers CTV News spoke to told similar stories, receiving cancellation notices overnight while most were asleep.

“We got an email from WestJet saying, ‘Oh, your flight might be cancelled,’ and then at the end of the email saying, ‘It’s cancelled,’” Gadour said.

“We tried calling WestJet. We were on hold for two hours and then my phone cancelled the call because it was taking too long,” she continued.

“They’re not giving us any options. If you’re going to cancel, do it in advance and give us options.”

Despite her flight being canceled, Gadour went to the airport Sunday hoping to find another way home. In the worst case scenario, she said she would book a new flight, but she worries about whether she will be reimbursed for the extra expenses.

“We want to go home, we are tired and everything is not going as planned, so it is a little sad to end the holidays like this,” she said.

For some stranded passengers, cancellations unexpectedly extend their vacations.

Neeraj Arora and his family were eager to return to Toronto after a cruise. But their flight was postponed. Instead of taking a direct flight from Vancouver to Toronto, they must first make a nine-hour trip to Kelowna, British Columbia.

The detour is cutting into their week. They’ve already canceled several plans, including attending a wedding party on Monday.

“It was very confusing,” Arora said of the experience. “I don’t know what we’re going to do, spending all day in Kelowna and flying all night, it’s very tiring.”

Across Canada, the airline cancelled more than 700 flights, affecting about 100,000 travellers over the long weekend.

Anyone planning to travel with WestJet is advised to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport.