Sunwing system outage: Hundreds of B.C. residents stranded due to flight delays, cancellations
1000’s of passengers are stranded on account of one in every of Canada’s largest vacation airways being hit by a system-wide outage.
Sunwing Airways stated the outage is affecting check-in and boarding and passengers have been stranded attempting to get dwelling from their holidays.
Sunwing’s web site exhibits nearly all flights scheduled for Monday — greater than 40 — have been delayed, some by greater than 12 hours.
B.C. resident Dani Monaghan was on trip in Cancun, Mexico and was picked up at their resort at 2:40 p.m. Sunday with their flight scheduled to depart at 6:30 p.m., placing them into Vancouver simply after 11 p.m. that very same evening.
She stated once they bought to the airport, nevertheless, there was an enormous line-up on the Sunwing desk.
“It wasn’t till we had been standing there for in all probability an hour, two hours, after we realized there was an even bigger downside,” Monaghan stated.
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She stated the principle challenge has been the shortage of communication from Sunwing about what is going on.
Their flight was ultimately delayed till Monday however after one other two cancellations they’ve been informed they could possibly be picked up at “any time” and could possibly be on “any flight.”
“So we don’t know after we’re going dwelling,” Monaghan added.
She stated they got a $15 meals voucher however a lot of the passengers couldn’t use them as a result of it may solely be redeemed on the Starbucks, which was closed, and a restaurant that was so busy it might take some time to get meals. In the meantime, passengers have been being informed to be prepared in 20 minutes to go on a bus to a different resort.
“That’s the common factor, nobody has constant data,” she stated.
Sunwing has not responded to International Information’ request for remark however the firm did put out an announcement on Twitter.
Kelowna resident Andrew Lipton can also be stranded in Cancun, attempting to get dwelling.
He informed International Information in an e-mail that customer support on the airport was appalling and they aren’t receiving any useful data.
They have been additionally ultimately bussed again to a resort for Sunday evening however as of Monday morning, have been left in limbo like Monaghan and her pal.
“As a result of I’ve to return to work, and so do the grandparents babysitting our two-year-old and one-year-old, I frantically seemed for a brand new airline to take us dwelling,” Lipton stated. “Over $2,000 Canadian on Air Canada. Three seats on the flight left. Do I guide?!? Sure, I do.
“I’m lucky and fortunate sufficient to have the ability to do that. However I’ll 100 per cent be preserving my receipts to undergo Sunwing.”
Monaghan stated she and her pal have now fashioned a small group of passengers to allow them to assist one another and entry data.
“We’re simply speaking with one another and nobody’s getting actually upset,” she stated. “We’re simply pissed off and we simply need to go dwelling. We had an incredible trip and that is type of ending it on a little bit of a bitter word for lots of people.”
Dani Monagan and her pal try to move the time within the airport.
Dani Monaghan
She stated she is aware of there are worse locations to be stranded than Mexico however with the shortage of communication from Sunwing, they will’t simply return to a resort and calm down. They’re consistently being informed they have to be prepared to depart quickly.
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She added the shortage of media protection about what was occurring was additionally very irritating.
“We’ve been within the foyer since 10 a.m., ready,” she stated.
“We don’t know and we’re not getting flight e-mail data. The folks on Twitter are telling us to examine our flight standing, that retains altering or the alerts aren’t there. We’re getting contradictory data by the telephone line, anyone who exhibits up in an orange shirt, we requested them. The folks at Planet Hollywood, they’ve had slightly bit extra data as a result of I feel they know extra behind the scenes stuff and even the fellows who’re on the busses.”
She stated they’ve been spending quite a lot of time in Planet Hollywood however they don’t suppose they’re even flying out Monday.
“It’s simply been preserving it gentle as a result of there’s lots of people who can simply go instantly to anger and there’s nothing anyone can do,” she added. “Whether it is a pc system, and that’s my understanding, we are able to’t hurry expertise and it occurred on Easter lengthy weekend. There was in all probability three folks working in Sunwing yesterday.”
