Key takeaways:
- One citizen’s flights have been revised 11 times since she reserved them in February.
- Air Canada has temporarily discontinued the direct planes from Fort McMurray to Toronto.
Air Canada’s suspension of its immediate Fort McMurray-Toronto flight is causing clutter and frustration among travelers, and some say they won’t be using the airline again in the future.
Nathalie Berthelot tells her flights have been revised about a dozen times. She’s attempting to get back home to New Richmond, Que., to visit her siblings and parents for the first time in three years.
Initially, her travel dreams had her control in Toronto and Montreal and ended in Bathurst, N.B.
She reserved her flight in February, with the first shift coming on April 28.
In her actual flight schedule, Berthelot made sure she had long layovers. She plotted a 24-hour layover in Montreal so she could see her aunt.
That plan had the direct flight from Fort McMurray to Toronto revoked.
“I was crushed,” said Berthelot. “I just began crying because I miss my mom, my family and I want to return.”
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She generally sees her family every year, she said.
“It’s my cure.”
Last week, Air Canada declared it would miss dozens of daily flights this summer as it wrestles with a sequence of challenges and skyrocketing demand for travel.
The airline will average lower its schedule by 77 round trips — or 154 flights — per day during July and August.
In an email, Air Canada said the route between Toronto and Fort McMurray had been temporarily stopped.
“We fully respect the blow and inconvenience schedule changes cause buyers, and we do our most to mitigate these unfortunate circumstances,” the statement said.
Passengers are advised when flights are revoked, and they are rebooked if feasible.
Source – CBC News
