Family stranded at London, Ont. airport spend thousands to get home
By the time they got to Toronto Sunday night, Krystle Linic and her grandmother could smile, but to get to that point had been an ordeal.
Linic, her parents, and grandmother had booked a roundtrip flight from Edmonton to London so they could be at Linic's great-aunt's funeral over the weekend. Getting out of Edmonton was no issue, but flying back home became a frustrating, expensive process.
"We couldn't talk to anybody," says Linic. "There was nobody to talk to, nobody to call."
The family had checked in for their Swoop flight Saturday night, only to learn in the morning it had been cancelled, Linic explains.
Swoop, and its parent airline, WestJet, had experienced what it called a "severe disruption" to its service because of a system-wide outage. Hundreds of flights across the country were cancelled as a result.
Krystle and her family at her great aunt's funeral near London, Ont. on Nov. 5, 2022. (Source: Krystle Linic)
Linic and her family were rebooked on a flight for Tuesday morning, which was not a reasonable option for her.
"My mom and I are both teachers, and I didn't have any more days off," says Linic. "So it would be at my expense for the substitute teacher, plus loss of wages."
"It was going to be in the thousands of dollars for me to stay [in London] for two days," explains Linic, so they rented a car and drove to Toronto and caught an Air Canada flight.
It was an expensive decision that cost about $3,800, but she says it was cheaper than waiting in London.
Swoop Airlines Boeing 737 on display during their media event, Tuesday, June 19, 2018 at John C. Munro International Airport in Hamilton, Ont. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tara Walton
"[Swoop] responded via Facebook Messenger," says Linic. "I responded with what my issue was and they said, 'Well we gave you a flight home, so tough luck.'"
Since that rebooking offer, Linic says her messages have gone unanswered.
WestJet issued a statement Monday saying it is trying to help customers as quickly as possible, and accommodation information would be shared through email.
A request for comment from CTV News London to WestJet Wednesday was not returned.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members today during a ceremony at British Columbia's legislature cenotaph commemorating the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.