WestJet Leaves Passengers "Stranded" in Cancun

[Dizzy1]

I read this story this morning and just about had my coffee shoot out of my nose ...

A Cape Breton man has had his vacation extended after his flight back to Nova Scotia from Mexico was grounded. He says the airline, WestJet, was negligent for not looking out for its passengers.

Jake Boudrot was scheduled to fly back from Cancun to Halifax with WestJet Saturday afternoon. He says the plane ran into mechanical issues and people waited for hours, first on the plane and then inside the airport.

He says eventually airport staff announced the flight was cancelled. Despite the bad weather expected in Nova Scotia, he thinks the group would have been fine if the plane could have taken off on time.

Boudrot says he was offered a flight to Edmonton, with a connection to Calgary, then Calgary to Halifax, which would arrive on Sunday. He says given the storm forecast, he didn’t want to get stuck in another airport.

“To me that’s completely irresponsible. It’s unsafe,” he said.

“There’s probably 200 people on the plane and the rest of them are at the mercy of WestJet scattering them all over the country. So I felt bad for them. They really had no options, no choice. Nobody to book another plane for them or nothing.”

WestJet said it offered guests seats on the next available flights, which involved connections. But many guests spent the night in the airport.

"This was an extremely unfortunate situation for our guests and we apologize," Robert Palmer, a spokesperson for the airline, said in email to CBC. "Had this happened outside of the busy spring break vacation period, we would have had more options for both flights and hotel rooms. However, at this time of year flights are full, leaving few open seats to provide other guests in the event of a cancellation."

Palmer said the company's agents found 30 rooms for guests, which it offered to families with small children and the elderly.

He says WestJet also arranged for the airport to keep the air conditioning on overnight.

Meanwhile, Boudrot contacted friends who were still in Mexico and arranged to stay at their hotel. They paid out of pocket for a flight back for him Monday. The hour-long cab back to the resort cost $160 USD, Boudrot said.

He says other passengers weren’t so lucky.

“Others were sitting there, there was nothing they could do. Some of them had been with all-inclusive vacation packages, only came with so much money. You know, didn’t have many options,” he says.

Boudrot says he didn't accept the airline's rationale that there were no accommodations.

“I’ve only been to Mexico once, but I can tell you there are hundreds of places people could’ve stayed.”

He said the airline should have had extra staff available to deal with any problems given the high volume of people travelling over spring break.

“They were completely unprepared to help people out or even be reasonable,” he said.

He declined to cash in a meal voucher.

“As far as I’m concerned that’s an insult,” he said.

Palmer said WestJet offered guests $40 worth of meal vouchers. He says the airline had 25 staff members working to get passengers home as fast as possible.

Boudrot is booked into a flight Monday. Without his friends, he expects he would be stuck in an airport in western Canada. Despite his extra day in warm weather, he says it has been a "terrible experience."

Really? "Unsafe", "Insulting"? Some people really need to just stay home.

He says eventually airport staff announced the flight was cancelled. Despite the bad weather expected in Nova Scotia, he thinks the group would have been fine if the plane could have taken off on time.

But the plane didn't take off on time, the flight was cancelled and the aircraft was pulled out of service due to a mechanical issue. While it may be inconvenient to have cancelled the flight, it could very well have saved your sorry *bleep*.

Boudrot says he was offered a flight to Edmonton, with a connection to Calgary, then Calgary to Halifax, which would arrive on Sunday. He says given the storm forecast, he didn’t want to get stuck in another airport.

So you were offered a flight, which you refused because you may have been delayed at another airport. So you and you alone made the decision to spend another night in CUN.

“To me that’s completely irresponsible. It’s unsafe,” he said.

Offering you an alternative to get you home is irresponsible how? And I don't even want to know how you think this is "unsafe".

“There’s probably 200 people on the plane and the rest of them are at the mercy of WestJet scattering them all over the country. So I felt bad for them.”

What? At the "mercy" of WestJet "scattering" them all over the country? Your flight was cancelled, alternatives were given to you and at no cost to you to get you home ... this is what airlines do when these situation arise, some better than others and WestJet does excel at this. Sorry, that trying to get you home as soon as possible was so traumatic for you. BTW, the largest 737 in WestJet's fleet is the -800 which only seats 174.

They really had no options, no choice. Nobody to book another plane for them or nothing.

What other "options" are you expecting? A chartered G5?

“Others were sitting there, there was nothing they could do. Some of them had been with all-inclusive vacation packages, only came with so much money. You know, didn’t have many options,” he says

And this is the airlines fault how? If you are travelling abroad you always have access to "just in case" funds ... this is rule number 1.

Boudrot says he didn't accept the airline's rationale that there were no accommodations.

And did you confirm your suspicion with various hotels yourself? Didn't think you did.

“I’ve only been to Mexico once, but I can tell you there are hundreds of places people could’ve stayed.”

During Spring Break? Unlikely. But you've only been there once, so I guess you know what you're talking about.

He said the airline should have had extra staff available to deal with any problems given the high volume of people travelling over spring break.

Ah, high volume of people during Spring Break ... yet you figure that there were hundreds of places people could have stayed. LOL!

“They were completely unprepared to help people out or even be reasonable,” he said.

They were unprepared to help people out, yet they offered you an alternative flight home? They found rooms for some of the passengers? They got the airport to keep the AC on overnight? And this is not helping people out? Good Lord!

He declined to cash in a meal voucher.

“As far as I’m concerned that’s an insult,” he said.

Wow, you really have put yourself on a pedestal now, haven't you?

Boudrot is booked into a flight Monday. Without his friends, he expects he would be stuck in an airport in western Canada. Despite his extra day in warm weather, he says it has been a "terrible experience."

I so hope you are in YYC tomorrow and you're sitting beside me to avail me of your tales.

The airline did everything they possibly could to get you home as soon and as safely as possible ... please, take your head out of your *bleep* and save us from your childish little story on how you've had such a terrible experience because you stomped your feet at everything the airline did to accommodate you by giving you as many options as they could to make the situation easier.

Mr. Boudrot, please, do the travelling public a favour and just stay home.

[Sige]

Yeah, and furthermore....actually, I got nothin'...you pretty much covered it all. Bravo :)

[mexi cali]

Spring Break in Cancun. Hmmmmmmm. Likelihood of any rooms being available? Zero. If I'm going to be stuck somewhere, that would be the place.

If he paid 160 US for a cab, he was, ummmm, seen coming.

Being as how he is from the east coast, nobody could understand him.

Been there once and knows all about the availability of accommodation.

So then why didn't he simply stay in Cancun if there were indeed so many rooms available? He could have taken the 160US cab ride and put that toward a room, grabbed a Palapa and a lounge chair and siestad.

Non, senor, no hurry here. EEEs Cancun.

Ai Carumba.

[wanderingman]

Boudrot says he was offered a flight to Edmonton, with a connection to Calgary, then Calgary to Halifax, which would arrive on Sunday. He says given the storm forecast, he didn’t want to get stuck in another airport

.


this guys a moron

[goatboy]

Great reporting by the CBC. Why do they bother printing this kind of crap, just encourage others. Hope Westjet refuses him as a customer next time he tries to book a flight. Sure doesn't help the Cape Breton stereotype.

[mexi cali]

Nope. He is the Cape Breton stereotype.

[XT225]

He should be THANKFUL to WestJet for the extra stay in Cancun. Why would anyone in their right mind want to return to Halifax right now....with the dreadful weather that they are experiencing..lol.

[logicalview]

Great reporting by the CBC. Why do they bother printing this kind of crap, just encourage others. Hope Westjet refuses him as a customer next time he tries to book a flight. Sure doesn't help the Cape Breton stereotype.

Yeah exactly. The CBC sucks.

[GordonH]

News media's in general all suck, they each have their own agenda.

[Glacier]

Maybe Westjet has quietly put him on their "no fly" list, or at least their "charge double" list.

[Smurf]

Yes this guy is a total idiot. And yes it is spring break down south. We ran into it at Lake Havasu. Absolute insanity unless of course you like drunks and booby shows etc., which there was an abundance of.

[mexi cali]

So...........................................How do I get to lake Havasu???

[Dizzy1]

*removed*

[Dizzy1]

Maybe Westjet has quietly put him on their "no fly" list, or at least their "charge double" list.

This is one Southwest airlines policy I really wish they would implement up here ... mind you some of the passengers that fly Southwest really leave you speechless ... just a shame that they're starting to migrate on to other carriers. <cringe>

https://www.facebook.com/PassengerShaming/photos_stream