Sask. airports, travel agencies playing catch up during extreme cold

She said the weather can also cause safety concerns for workers on the tarmac, who need to take frequent breaks to warm up.

Terry Kaszas, general manager of travel services for CAA Saskatchewan, said the calls have been constant as travellers deal with flight cancellations all across the province.

Not only have there been flight cancellations from travellers trying to come home from hot destinations such as Mexico, but many travellers have been left grounded at the Saskatoon and Regina airports as well.

“It’s caused great pain for everybody at this time,” he said, “We’re doing our best to look for different connections (and) different options for them to get to their warm destination.”

In Regina, he noted, a Sunwing flight to Puerto Vallarta has been cancelled for two days in a row. According to the YQR Airport Authority’s website, the rescheduled flight has been delayed from Monday morning to Monday evening.

When extremely cold weather hits, Kaszas said it’s common for travellers to face delays and cancellations, which can leave individuals looking for compensation when they end up stuck in a different city.

If a cancellation is due to a flight crew issue instead of weather, he said airlines can assist with compensation.

Kaszas said his advice for travellers about to take off is to be patient and get travel insurance

Dushinski advised travellers to stay close to their airline and check on the most recent flight status updates when heading to the airport.

“Don’t put yourself into the position where you’re going to be stuck at the airport for 15 hours because you didn’t confirm that your flight was delayed in advance,” she said.

by Mia Holowaychuk, CKOM News Staff

Sask. airports, travel agencies playing catch up during extreme cold

What's Trending