Monday morning, crowds rushed around the staff of the Toronto and Montreal airports, hoping to find alternatives to canceled flights and obtain more information on last -minute cancellations.
In Montreal, Marouan Ait Ben Abdallah testified to having spent his very first night in Canada sleeping at the airport.
Arrived from Morocco on Sunday, he had to stop in Montreal before taking off for Winnipeg, where he will start a new job. But on Monday, he was still looking for a way to go to their destination.
He tried several times to get help from airport employees, without success.
“They answer me the same sentences. (…) that the only solution is to buy a ticket at $ 1,500 or $ 1,600, “he deplored.
“I have no idea what’s going on,” he added, saying that he is not aware of this labor conflict.
Luca Pozzoli, for his part, tries to go to Italy, but his flight was canceled shortly after arriving at Montreal Airport.
“Everything is complete, so we plan to go to Boston (…) by car, then take the plane tomorrow,” he said.
In Toronto, John and Laws Alderman said that Air Canada told them that they could be blocked in the metropolis for four to five additional days, while waiting for their return flight to Manchester, in the United Kingdom.
“I am diabetic and I will miss insulin in about four days,” said Alderman at Pearson International Airport. This will be problematic. “
The couple said they felt like “prisoners at the hotel” with their two teenagers, hesitating to do tourism for fear of receiving an email from the airline announcing a last -minute flight.
The hotel room costs them about $ 700 per night, and a return flight with a competing company would cost more than $ 8,000 for the four.
The situation was quieter at Vancouver airport, which asked the former Air Canada passengers not to appear without confirmed flight.
Ulla Clozza was preparing to take a flight to Copenhagen to attend a family wedding. This 69 -year -old said that she and her husband Dale Clozza were initially taking a flight Canada on Saturday, but that their travel agent had managed to find places on a Swiss Air flight.
Travelers sympathize
Air Canada had planned to resume its flights on Sunday, but the union’s decision to continue the strike despite the order of the CCI prevented it. The airline said on Monday that some 500,000 customers had seen their flights canceled accordingly.
The airline announced on Monday that all Air Canada and Red Air Canada flights would remain suspended until 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was disappointed on Monday that Air Canada and the union failed to conclude an agreement after eight months of negotiations, and urged the two parties to quickly resolve the situation.
He also said that Ottawa recognized the “essential role that on -board agents play to ensure the safety of Canadians and their families during their travels”, adding that it was “important that they were paid fairly at all times”.
Despite the chaos of travel, some passengers have expressed their sympathy for strike agents on strike and said they had to be treated fairly.
“I think it’s important. If you are here to do your job and you’ve already started it, you should be paid for this, “Lisa Smith told Montreal Airport.
Ms. Smith and Nicole Power, two Newfoundland sisters, explained that they were visiting San Francisco and that they were initially told two days ago that their return flight with Air Canada would not be affected.
According to Ms. Smith, they were then announced on Sunday that the flight was canceled and that Canada has placed them on a competitor flight, but that they will remain blocked in Montreal until Wednesday before being able to return to the East Coast.
“Air Canada has reserved new tickets for free, but does not compensate us for hotels, transport to our hotel and meals,” she said.
– With information from Miriam Lafontaine in Montreal, Rianna Lim and Natasha Baldin in Toronto and Brieanna Charlebois in Vancouver.
