Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is calling Sunwing’s move to cancel all operations from the Regina and Saskatoon airports “irresponsible.”
Moe says Saskatchewan Transport Minister Jeremy Cockrill is in contact with the airline, and Omar Alghabra, federal transport minister, is requesting a plan for how stranded passengers will return home to Saskatchewan.
He also said his government is expecting Sunwing to “appropriately compensate everyone who did not receive the service they purchased.”
Sunwing made the announcement Thursday ending flights in the province through Feb. 3, 2023, due to “due to extenuating circumstances.”
“We regret to inform our customers in Saskatoon and Regina that, due to extenuating circumstances, we are unfortunately cancelling our operations from both airports. The cancellations will take immediate effect and apply to travel from both airports up to and including Fri. Feb. 3/23,” the airline said in a tweet.
Regina Airport Authority CEO James Bogusz said that an airline cancelling operations for this length of time is unusual.
“We became aware just yesterday that Sunwing had essentially announced the cancellation of any further departures or arrivals until February because they essentially needed to catch up. Now, this is not common. Having an airline cancel on this type of scale for this length of time is certainly not common.”
He added that the Regina airport was already dealing with difficult weather conditions.
“We had a very nasty freezing rain event that occurred overnight that actually impacted our local conditions,” he said.
Bogusz said he hopes Sunwing will focus on prioritizing its customers and get them back to Saskatchewan.
He also gave some tips for travellers.
“If you had a sun vacation booked with Sunwing in the month of January or right at the end of December, they have a ton of information on their website at sunwing.com. We’ve also posted a link on our social media feeds and a big blue banner on the front page under ‘Winter travel advisory.’
He added that Sunwing has confirmed that the fee people paid for their flights will be refunded automatically unless travelers contact them for other arrangements.
“I can tell you after five years in Saskatchewan, people love to get away in the winter. It’s a big part of the business, but some of these passengers have not been able to make it home. Very frustrating time for passengers.”