Sask. passengers still grounded as winter storms hit Canada coast to coast

The travel insanity continues as winter storms wallop Canada from coast to coast.

“I’m heading to Edmonton…. Flight got cancelled…. Going to see what they are offering me to get there and if it’s not feasible I’ll just go home and drive,” said one traveller at Regina’s airport.

Passengers are left waiting, not knowing whether they should stay at the airport or attempt a cross-country drive in the snow to make it on time to holiday gatherings.

“After two cancellations and a bunch of delays, we are going to actually drive through Alberta and see what we can do,” said another passenger attempting to reach Prince George, British Columbia.

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Holiday frustrations continue for travellers in Regina

Between Dec. 18 and 21, the Regina airport had 18 cancelled flights, and 50 per cent of flights have been delayed.

On Friday alone, the Regina airport had five cancellations and almost every single flight has had some form of delay.

“It’s becoming harder and harder for the airlines to re-accommodate everybody prior to Christmas,” said Regina Airport Authority CEO James Bogusz.

A majority of the flights before Christmas were already at full capacity, making it impossible for airlines to place passengers on the next departing flight.

“When I came in at three a.m., they said it was cancelled. I didn’t get an email about it, nothing at check in either. When I asked them what I could do, they just said ‘nothing, you can come back at 8:00 and see what we can do’,” said another passenger.

While weather is the main culprit of the disruptions, there are other factors at play.

“There is a significant amount of challenges that the airlines are undergoing. Weather is a big factor. We also just have to remember that the industry is just recovering from COVID, and there are situations where perhaps there is a lack of aircraft availability, pilot availability in addition to significant weather that we have seen in Vancouver, Alberta, and we have had our fair share here in Saskatchewan,” said Bogusz.

While Saskatchewan’s airports have been operating at approximately 90 per cent capacity since the pandemic, both of the main airports rely on connecting flights.

“I’m trying to make it to Vancouver, but my first stop is in Calgary,” said a passenger at the Reinga airport who was experiencing cancellations through WestJet.

Saskatchewan is used to this kind of weather, and for most residents, a week of these temperatures isn’t something out of the ordinary for the middle of December, but other parts of the country aren’t prepared like we are.

“It’s a network system,” said Bogusz. “If a portion of the network does not happen, such as a plane not arriving in Regina let’s say the night before, that means the next morning, that plane cannot depart.”

With the western and eastern coasts being hit the hardest by snowfall this week, connecting flights that have been delayed or cancelled are mainly causing the issues with the Saskatchewan delays.

Bogusz said that passengers can check with the airlines website if they receive a cancellation notice, to see how they can communicate about their flights.

Many airlines’ phone lines are currently backed up, and certain help desks, such as WestJet for example, are asking people to reach out by email.

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