A couple of French tourists whose flight from Air Canada was canceled at the last minute was forced to undertake a crossing of Canada by car so that they can return to their country.
“It was the only solution,” sums up Paul Bages at the end of the line.
The newspaper joined him on Saturday while he was on the trans -Canadian road in Saskatchewan with his spouse Mélanie Barreiro aboard a rented car. He then had just started a 3,600 km journey from Calgary to Montreal.
The couple from the southwest of France imagined a more relaxing journey for their two weeks in Canada.
Arrived in Calgary on August 10, tourists spent a week in Rockies and had to take an Air Canada flight on Saturday morning to Montreal to visit Quebec.
Mélanie Barreiro and Paul Bages at Lake Louise, in the Canadian Rockies.
Photo provided by Paul Bages
They have to return to Paris in an Air Transat flight at Montreal Airport next Friday.
“We have to go back to work and end the holidays,” said Bages.
Western stuck in the west
However, the couple received the email he feared last night; Its flight on Saturday was canceled due to the lockout and the strike of on-board agents at Air Canada.
“We looked with the other companies: Porter, Westjet, but there was nothing available before Wednesday and in addition they were flights to Toronto or Ottawa. We looked with the buses, but there was nothing. The first available trains went to August 23 [samedi] So after our return flight, ”says Paul Bages.
Air Canada has multiplied the cancellations of flights in recent days and announced the cancellations of all its flights from Saturday.
AFP
In order to save what was left of their trip without missing their plane to France, Paul and Mélanie concluded that they had to travel the five provinces that separated them from Montreal … by renting a car.
“It was what was most reasonable, but I exaggerate. Prices have increased well and leave a car in another city, it costs us a small fortune, “explains Mr. Bages, who estimates that this unexpected will cost them about $ 2,500 more.
Paul Bages during a Saskatchewan stop.
Photo provided by Paul Bages
The meadows instead of Montreal
Instead of visiting Quebec, they will run daily for eight hours on the Trans -Canadian road over the next five days and will discover Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.
They will only be two short days in the Quebec metropolis, where they must also visit a cousin by Mélanie Barreiro.
“It completely changes our visit plans. We visit something else and we take advantage of the trans -Canada ”, philosopher Mr. Bages.
The Frenchman said he was disappointed with the treatment reserved for him Air Canada.
“Air Canada really leaves us on behalf of. There is no hotel, we do not compensate with meals. There could have been a gesture to compensate for the inconvenience, ”he pleads.
