WestJet strike: British Columbia woman says elderly relatives stranded in Calgary

A Maple Ridge, BC resident says her mother and mother-in-law’s first trip to Canada ended in frustration after their flight home was suddenly cancelled due to a WestJet strike.

Jessica Arroyo told CTV News she left for Vancouver International Airport at 2 a.m. Saturday to catch her family’s early morning flight to Varadero, Cuba.

Aida and Adela’s first flight to Calgary went without any problems. But after the two had already boarded the plane to Cuba, the pilot told the passengers that they would not be taking off, Arroyo said.

“They are frustrated right now and just want to go home,” she said.

This flight was one of more than 200 flights WestJet canceled on Saturday after the aircraft mechanics union went on strike Friday night.

Read more: Dozens of BC flights cancelled due to WestJet mechanics strike

Arroyo said her mother and mother-in-law spent more than 10 hours at Calgary International Airport trying to plan their next steps.

She is particularly worried because Aida and Adela are senior citizens, aged 69 and 70, and do not speak English. Their travel insurance also expired on Saturday.

“They came to Canada for the first time and hoped to have a good stay, but now they have to deal with this. This stress is terrible,” Arroyo said.

She said she was unable to reach WestJet by phone due to the overwhelming volume of calls and showed CTV News an email from the airline informing travelers there were no alternate flights for them in the next 48 hours. Arroyo said WestJet offered each of her relatives a $50 meal voucher.

“They say they have no options for us,” she said. Friends and family are currently trying to find accommodation for Aida and Adela until they get home and are desperately looking for flights to Cuba on other airlines.

Every traveler who spoke to CTV News on Saturday said they had difficulty getting help from WestJet customer service.

Read more: 235 flights cancelled as WestJet awaits Labor Minister’s response on next steps in mechanics strike

“They are lost. They don’t speak the language. What are we supposed to do when a company completely ignores us?” Arroyo said. “I feel helpless.”

She said she wanted WestJet to review each case and prioritize those with more complex travel needs.

“We will probably choose a different company next time because we don’t want to deal with it again,” she said.