A Winnipeg couple is scrambling to make changes to their destination wedding after their flight was abruptly cancelled by Sunwing.
Jolene Bergsma and Sam Hagglund got engaged in July 2022 and had their destination group wedding package booked in October 2022 through the Toronto-based travel agency “Wed In Destination,” with flights to Los Cabos, Mexico scheduled for Dec. 28, 2023.
At the start of this month, Bergsma says they received information that turned their dream destination wedding plans upside down.
“I received a call on Dec. 1, 28 days prior to our departure date, that Sunwing had cancelled our flights from Winnipeg to Cabo for 37 of our guests and back,” Bergsma told Global News.
The couple says the reason they were given was due to “modifications in Sunwing’s planned programming.” They say it’s been a source of major stress for them both.
“Jolene called me and she doesn’t typically lose her composure, and when I heard the hurt in her voice, you know, that kind of upset me as well,” Hagglund said. “Obviously, there were feelings of panic and frustration.”
“And sadness,” Bergsma added. “And to be honest, maybe even a little bit of guilt because it’s not just our money, it’s our friends and our family at this point.”
The couple says communication with both Sunwing and the travel agency has been difficult. They say through the travel agency, Sunwing offered them three different options, including finding alternate flights to Los Cabos or changing the wedding to Cancun.
“If we move everything to Cancun, that’s an entirely brand new wedding that needs to be planned within three weeks,” Bergsma said, adding that the Cancun wedding was a higher price package and it was unclear who would cover the costs.
“They’ve informed us that it could be an additional $10,000 American and they have not given any clarity on who’s going to be covering those costs,” Hagglund said.
The third option would have been to cancel the wedding altogether and be refunded.
“It’s kind of weird, their approach to it, because they kind of see it as this objective number on a screen. But to us, it’s our wedding,” Hagglund said.
“Sure we could just cancel the whole thing, but I honestly don’t know (where) go after that. Of course it’s not about the wedding, it’s not about any of that, it’s about (Jolene) and me. But it kind of just sucks that we’ve had this idea of this wedding date together to celebrate with these people and they just seem to be fine. Like Sunwing, Wed In Destination, the travel agent — all these (companies) seem to be fine with kind of just not caring about our day.”
Bergsma and Hagglund say each option, other than cancelling their wedding altogether, would be an added cost and added source of stress, as they had other guests who booked separate flights that would have to make last-minute changes to their flights and accommodations as well.
In an emailed statement to Global News, a Sunwing spokesperson confirmed there have been modifications to their winter flight schedule and regret the impact it’s had on the couple’s destination wedding.
The statement also said flights from Winnipeg to Los Cabos have been cancelled starting in late December. The spokesperson also stated they’re working with the couple’s travel agency to find options and have now offered to absorb the cost difference of the higher price package to Cancun.
“Best efforts were made to re-accommodate the group on alternate flights to Los Cabos, either through nearby cities or via alternate carriers, however the options are very limited so close to the holiday season,” the statement read.
“With that said, we are able to re-accommodate the group at another resort in Cancun on their original travel dates, and Sunwing Vacations will absorb the difference in cost for the higher package price. The offer has been extended to the bride and groom through their travel agency, and we are currently waiting to hear their decision.”
Global News also reached out to Wed in Destination but did not hear back before deadline.
As for Bergsma and Hagglund, they have a message to others planning a destination wedding.
“Just be careful of who you’re booking with,” Bergsma said.
“It’s a very important day and if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t do it again.”
Airlines have a contractual obligation: Air passenger rights advocate
Gabor Lukacs, president of Air Passenger Rights, says airlines like Sunwing have a contractual obligation to the couple and their wedding guests.
“The airline is breaking the contract, breaking the law, and is liable for the passengers’ damages,” Lukacs told Global News.
“This is not something you can do in any universe where you have some semblance of contract law. An airline cannot just promise to transport a passenger and then walk away from the promise when it’s not convenient. That’s not how contract law works.”
Lukacs says the airline is responsible for either finding an alternate flight to the original location within their own network or paying for a flight through another airline.
“Sunwing Airlines here is on the hook for the passengers’ expenses, their damages, and if Sunwing is not going to deal with it, I would suggest the passengers buy tickets on their own and then make Sunwing Airlines pay for it.”