‘A disaster’: Passengers sleep at Vancouver International Airport after WestJet flights cancelled

With dozens of WestJet flights unceremoniously cancelled to and from Vancouver International Airport Sunday, many travelers have been forced to sleep at the airport, or pay out of pocket for a flight from another airline.

Read more: WestJet mechanics strike forces dozens more B.C. flight cancellations

According to the airline’s flight status page, 46 departures have been called off as have 46 arrivals. A labour dispute between the airline and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association escalated Friday – just as the Canada Day long weekend was getting underway.

“It is (a) disaster,” said disgruntled passenger Louisa Garcia, who slept at YVR with her husband after a 14-hour flight from Manila to Vancouver.

The pair were supposed to catch a flight around 8 p.m. Saturday to their home in Edmonton.

“When we checked in for the connection … we learned that it was cancelled and they did not send us an email,” she said.

The couple were re-booked on another flight leaving Sunday morning, but around 3 a.m. that flight was also cancelled.

They, along with many other passengers, had no other option but to sleep at the airport.

“Just imagine for a long, long trip they did not even give us accommodation, just even water, no,” Garcia said.

“The airport here (was) full. And the babies, the young kids were crying … It is very uncomfortable and not fair for us because we paid for the flight.”

WestJet couldn’t guarantee the couple would get on a flight Sunday, and after two days of travel they decided to shell out $1,500 for a new flight with a different airline.

‘We’re tired’

Garcia wasn’t the only one considering booking another flight.

Mina Gadour was supposed to go home to Montreal when her flight was cancelled around midnight. Many passengers CTV News spoke with told similar stories of getting cancellation notices overnight, when most would have been sleeping.

“We got an email from WestJet saying ‘Oh, your flight might be cancelled’ then at the end of the email saying ‘It’s cancelled’,” Gadour said.

“We tried to call WestJet. We were on hold for two hours then my phone cancelled the call because it was too long,” she continued.

“They don’t give us any options. If you cancel it, do it in advance and give us options.”

Despite her cancelled flight, Gadour came to the airport Sunday hoping to find another way home. Worst-case-scenario, she said she’ll book a new flight, but worries about whether she’ll be reimbursed for the extra expenses.

“We want to go home, we’re tired, and everything is not going according to plan so it’s a bit sad to finish the vacation like this,” she said.

For some stranded passengers, the cancellations are unexpectedly extending their vacations.

Neeraj Arora and his family were excited to get home to Toronto after a cruise. But their flight was rescheduled. Instead of flying directly from Vancouver to Toronto, they’re stuck making a nine-hour trip to Kelowna, B.C., first.

The detour is cutting into their week. They’ve already cancelled several plans, including attending a wedding party Monday.

“Very confusing,” Arora said about the experience. “I don’t know what we’re going to do a whole day in Kelowna and fly overnight, very tiring.”

Canada-wide, the airline has canceled more than 700 flights, impacting an estimated 100,000 travelers over the long weekend.

Anyone planning to fly WestJet is urged to check their flight status before heading to the airport.