Alberta single mom scrambles to fly her son home from B.C. amid wildfires

It started out as 11-year-old Tristan’s annual summer holiday with his grandparents in 100 Mile House.

But the vacation was cut short after they were forced out by a wildfire that had grown to an estimated 5,000 hectares, at last count.

Coverage of B.C. wildfires on Globalnews.ca:

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Tristan fled to a Kamloops evacuation centre with his grandmother and grandfather. He’s been there for days and his mother, Airdrie resident Charlane Wickwire, is anxious to bring him home.

“You feel absolutely helpless,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "You feel absolutely helpless," she said.

“It was really scary… Just trying to find out what areas are evacuated what burned down? If there was anything I could do to get in there and help my family and get my son out of there.”

She phoned the two major airlines to price out the cost of a trip home.

WestJet is offering discounts between 25 and 50 percent off the air fare for anyone leaving the wildfires. But the single mom said she wasn’t given a deal.

“Both of them quoted a price with no kind of discount to go get him and charged me more than what it would cost for a vacation,” Wickwire said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Both of them quoted a price with no kind of discount to go get him and charged me more than what it would cost for a vacation," Wickwire said.

“They said, ‘Ma’am, it’s a last-minute flight.'”

She booked a return flight on WestJet for herself and a one way ticket home for Tristan. The total, just over $700.

“I’m feeling really disappointed actually,” Wickwire said. “To not even help out when its an emergency? I wasn’t asking for a free ticket, I was just asking for a discount.”

READ MORE: Airlines offering discounts, flexible tickets for B.C. wildfire zones

A WestJet spokesperson said the airline wouldn’t knowingly overcharge or take advantage of a situation like this.

They suspect there may have been some miscommunication between the company and the booking agents.

WestJet ultimately refunded her $102 after numerous conversations.