WestJet has admitted it supposing passengers with “erroneous information” by revelation them it cancelled flights to Santa Clara, Cuba, since of a sealed airport.
Last month, a airline also pronounced it gave identical improper information about since it cancelled flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Turks and Caicos.
WestJet formerly told business it had cancelled flights to Santa Clara since a city’s airfield was tighten down until Jan. 6, 2018, since of Hurricane Irma.
The airfield did tighten after Irma strike Cuba on Sept. 9, though it reopened on Sept. 25. Sunwing and Air Transat resumed use to a city in early November.Â
WestJet now says it indeed cancelled Santa Clara flights until Jan as a business decision. It done this matter following a CBCÂ News investigation.Â
According to a a Cuba Tourist Board, a airfield in Santa Clara reopened on Sept. 25 and Air Transat resumed drifting to a city on Nov. 11. (Santa Clara Airport/destilino.com)
“This is rather disappointing. we don’t like being lied to,” pronounced newcomer Joe Lawson. He paid additional to change his transport skeleton after WestJet told him it cancelled his Dec. 9 moody from Toronto to Santa Clara since a airfield was sealed until 2018.
He got a news on Sept. 26 — one day after a Santa Clara airfield had actually reopened.
In a matter to CBC News, WestJet offering an reparation to business like Lawson for what it calls “communication errors.”
Last month, a airline also apologized for wrongly revelation passengers it cancelled flights to both San Juan and Turks and Caicos since of whirly repairs during their international airports. At a time, both airports were open.Â
WestJet pronounced it indeed cancelled flights to Turks and Caicos since of sealed resorts and to San Juan since a island altogether was still pang from whirly damage.
WestJet has offering refunds for cancelled flights, though hasn’t offering to cover combined costs incurred by passengers who rebooked their trips to deliver vacation plans.
Airline rights activist Gabor Lukacs alleges a airline misled passengers about airfield closures since it wanted to equivocate profitable additional remuneration for cancelling flights that were within a control.Â
“They done adult this story to equivocate this obligation,” claims Lukacs, who’s formed in Halifax. WestJet declined to criticism on his accusations.
But a airline has compensated some influenced passengers — after being confronted about a messaging.

Lawson demanded a additional income he paid to rebook his outing after he schooled that his Santa Clara moody wasn’t cancelled due to a sealed airport. WestJet gave him a refund. (Joe Lawson)
At first, Lawson supposed WestJet’s explain that it had no choice though to cancel his moody to Santa Clara due to a sealed airport.
He altered his vacation skeleton and requisitioned a WestJet moody instead to Holguin, Cuba, costing him an combined $244.53.
After reading a Nov. 18 CBC News article about WestJet wrongly revelation passengers it had cancelled flights to Turks and Caicos since of a sealed airport, Lawson began to doubt his possess situation.
“Something only twigged in my brain.” He went online and detected other airlines were drifting to Santa Clara.
“I wasn’t impressed,” he said. “It would seem that a airline is personification a same diversion with passengers drifting to Cuba as they were with passengers drifting to Turks and Caicos.”
Lawson called WestJet and demanded payment for a cost of rearranging his transport plans.
“I wasn’t impressed. we said, ‘Do we consider this is appropriate, you’re dubious people? You’re revelation people, it’s an act of God?'”
WestJet did reimburse Lawson a additional $244.53, though he still feels wronged by its messaging errors.
“‘Communication error’ is garbage,” he said. “They should be penalized.”
WestJet pronounced it cancelled Santa Clara flights immediately after Hurricane Irma strike Cuba and “took a regressive approach” to a restart date in box a area took a prolonged time to recover.
Spokesperson Lauren Stewart pronounced a cancellations were a “business decision” that authorised a airline to giveaway adult aircraft so it could offer hurricane-affected passengers flights to other object destinations.
She said WestJet would learn from a mistakes.
“As a code built on trust, we aim to be open, honest and useful with a information relayed to a guests,” pronounced Stewart. “We will use these communication errors as areas of alleviation for destiny events.”
Lukacs believes a Canadian Transportation Agency should launch an review into WestJet’s actions for all 3 cancellations.
“We’re not articulate about one passenger. There are many people, many, many flights that have been cancelled,” he said. “Where’s a accountability?”
Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/westjet-santa-clara-cuba-cancelled-flights-1.4451007?cmp=rss