Transport minister calls Sunwing chaos ‘unacceptable’ as passengers remain stranded

It is “unacceptable” that hundreds of Canadian passengers remain stuck in Mexico after Sunwing cancelled their flights home — and the federal government is “concerned,” Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says.

His comments come after Canadians described being shuffled between hotels in Mexico, sometimes arriving to find there were no rooms booked for them, saying Sunwing officials have so far passed along inaccurate and incomplete information about when they might be able to head home.

Passengers who have managed to return home say their Sunwing flights appeared “half-empty,” even as hundreds of Canadians remain stranded in Cancun, Mexico, following significant disruptions over the weekend after a major winter storm disrupted travel plans across the country.

“Canadians are patient when it comes to weather disruptions but they rightly expect their airlines to keep them informed and to manage these disruptions smoothly,” Alghabra said in a Wednesday tweet.

“I am very concerned with the current situation with Sunwing Airlines.”

The ongoing situation, Alghabra added, is “unacceptable.”

“Canadians must receive the information they need to return home safely. We expect all airlines to keep their passengers informed when it comes to delivering a service that they were paid to do,” he wrote.

“Passengers have rights under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations to ensure robust passenger protection in situations like these, and our government will continue to ensure these rights are protected.”

— More to come…

— with files from The Canadian Press

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