Hurricane Beryl and WestJet strike leave couple stranded

After more than ten years as a loyal WestJet traveller, Jennifer Hewitt is swearing off the Canadian airline after she and her husband are still stranded in Jamaica due to a series of unforeseen flight cancellations.

“(I’m) very frustrated. I said, ‘I’m not coming back to Jamaica for a while, and if I fly, it’s not going to be WestJet,'” Hewitt said in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca.

Hewitt, 64, flew to the Caribbean island on June 17 to visit friends and family and was scheduled to return home to Ajax, Ontario, on June 29.

“I didn’t receive any cancellation notice from WestJet, so we came (to the airport in Montego Bay),” Hewitt said.

She dropped off her rental car before heading to Sangster International Airport, where she learned at the WestJet travel desk that her flight home had been cancelled due to the aircraft mechanics union strike. Although the strike ended on Sunday, the disruption resulted in more than 1,100 flights being cancelled and more than 100,000 travellers being affected.

“With the July long weekend being a peak travel period across Canada, unfortunately there is limited availability both on our network and on alternative airlines, making accommodation choices extremely difficult,” WestJet said in a service update after the strike was averted.

Hewitt said her flight was rescheduled for Tuesday on American Airlines, including a seven-hour layover in Miami, Florida. When she returned to the airport to catch her flight, Hewitt said it was canceled entirely for another reason beyond the airline’s control: Hurricane Beryl.

The storm quickly developed into a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic, but weakened to a Category 3 early Thursday, although it is still a major hurricane in the region.

According to Hewitt, at the time of the interview on Thursday in Montego Bay, it was “beautiful and sunny, as if nothing had ever happened.”

“The only problem is that we have no water and no light,” she added.

Beryl has cancelled WestJet flights in Cancun, Montego Bay and Kingston, with flights suspended until at least Friday. Sangster International Airport said it would temporarily close due to the storm and remained closed on Wednesday. Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and Ian Fleming International Airport in Ocho Rios are also temporarily closed, but have all since reopened, according to the country’s tourism authority.

Hewitt and her husband were scheduled to take an Air Transat flight on Thursday, but due to airport closures, their departure with the airline was rescheduled for Friday at approximately 5:45 p.m.

Hewitt says each time her flight was canceled, WestJet – which booked all of her subsequent trips – never gave her advance notice of the flight disruption. She also says it was difficult to reach them by phone.

Hewitt says that each time her flights were cancelled, WestJet never informed her in advance of any disruptions – even though WestJet had booked the flights.

“I blame WestJet because we originally booked with them… they don’t even communicate with us, and I’ve tried calling WestJet several times from where I’m staying, and no, they’re always busy,” Hewitt said. “One time I got through, and I spent three hours on the phone only to be cut off.”

In a statement to CTVNews.ca, WestJet apologized to all travellers affected by the mechanics strike on June 28.

“Our teams at WestJet are working diligently to assist all affected guests as quickly as possible,” the emailed statement said.

The Calgary-based airline added that it had complied with passenger protection regulations and provided passengers with alternative travel arrangements within 48 hours of the flight cancellation.

“If this is not possible, guests will be entitled to a refund to their original method of payment,” the airline said.

The whole ordeal has set Hewitt back financially, especially from the many taxi rides she has taken to and from Montego Bay airport in hopes of catching her flight home. Since she no longer had a rental car, she said she paid about $50 for the taxi to return to her relatives’ home – a fare she can no longer afford.

“The taxi, I met him, so he’s going to wait for me to go back to Toronto and send him his money. I haven’t paid him because I don’t have any money,” Hewitt explained, citing unexpected days off from work and the need to pay her bills as part of the reason she can’t afford the fare right now.

Hewitt hopes WestJet can cover the costs she incurred during her forced extended stay in Jamaica.

“I’m just so upset with WestJet for treating me like this,” Hewitt said. “People came on Monday and the airline wasn’t flying, but then they were able to fly on Tuesday and I thought to myself, ‘We’ve been here since Saturday. Why aren’t we flying?'”

Travel advice in force

Airline passengers are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Jamaica due to Hurricane Beryl, according to an alert last updated just after noon on July 4. Global Affairs Canada is also advising Canadians to avoid all travel to Haiti due to the storm, as well as non-essential travel to Union Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Carriacou and Petite Martinique in Grenada, and the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Cabo Catoche to Chetumal, including Cozumel.

A global affairs spokesperson told CTVNews.ca that 1,857 Canadians are registered in Jamaica and 10,000 in Mexico.

Alberta native Alecia Repp, who has lived in Playa del Carmen for five years, told CTVNews.ca about Beryl’s impact on the region and how it compares to other storms.

“I’ve been through a few hurricanes in this area, and they were even worse than this one,” she said. “After having these experiences, I’m a little more relaxed.”

Repp added that stores have boarded up their windows, residents have taped up their windows, and all furniture has been brought indoors. She said she has stocked up on all her favorite foods, water and other essentials to weather the storm.

“I think the most important thing I’ve learned is not to panic. If you stay calm and prepare, like we’ve been doing for the past few days, it won’t be that bad,” Repp said.

For Canadians abroad who are still trying to return home, Global Affairs Canada advises them to stay informed of current travel advisories, log on to Canadians Abroad, talk to family and friends about the situation, and stay up to date with the latest local news and weather forecasts.

With files from Sarah Plowman and The Associated Press