Sunwing has received 7,000 complaints about holiday travel disruptions

Sunwing Airlines has received 7,000 complaints so far from customers unhappy with the airline’s performance during a turbulent holiday travel season that saw many customers stranded abroad.

Sunwing executives told MPs on the House of Commons standing committee on transport, infrastructure and communities Thursday that the airline cancelled 67 flights between December 15 and 31, in part because of staff shortages. Sunwing president Len Corrado said the airline struggled after the federal government declined its request to hire 63 pilots as temporary foreign workers.

Members of Parliament are questioning airline executives and airport authorities on Thursday about the travel chaos that erupted during the holidays.

Hundreds of air passengers were stranded over the holiday season after airlines cancelled or delayed flights, largely due to a major storm that hit much of Canada around Christmas.

Even though the House of Commons isn’t sitting right now, MPs on the transport committee met Monday and unanimously supported calling witnesses to discuss the travel debacle.

Executives from WestJet and Air Canada also testified.

Sunwing, a smaller airline that offers flights to warm southern destinations, faced the brunt of MPs’ questions Thursday.

WATCH | Sunwing says it received 7,000 complaints during chaotic holiday travel season

Sunwing says it received 7,000 complaints during chaotic holiday travel season

Sunwing official Andrew Dawson confirms the airline got 7,000 complaints tied to 2022 holiday travel season.

Sunwing president Len Corrado began his testimony with an apology.

“We failed to deliver to the level that we had expected, and that Canadians had expected from us over this holiday season,” he said in his opening statement before the committee.

His colleague Andrew Dawson, the president of tour operations at Sunwing Travel Group, said the airline has received approximately 7,000 complaints so far. Many of them are demanding partial compensation or full refunds for their travel troubles over the holidays.

Conservative tansport critic Mark Strahl wanted to know why Sunwing had sold flights departing from Saskatchewan when it didn’t have pilots to fly the planes.

“I find it very troubling that you would have booked travel, taken money from Canadians, when you didn’t have pilots lined up for the flights that you were selling,” Strahl said.

Carrado answered that Sunwing had applied to hire 63 pilots as temporary foreign workers to meet the demand, and that the airline’s legal team informed Sunwing executives the application would be successful.

But on December 9, 2022, Carrado said, the airline got word that the application had been rejected. Carrado added that Sunwing attempted to shift resources and alter its schedule to make up for the shortfall, but that plan wasn’t entirely successful.

“We failed to deliver to the level we had expected to,” Carrado said.

All airline executives appearing before the committee pointed to similar difficulties with holiday flights, including the winter storm, staffing shortages and equipment and infrastructure that failed due to freezing temperatures.

“In my 22 years at WestJet, this was the most significant weather-induced disruption that I have experienced,” Scott Wilson, WestJet’s vice-president of flight operations, told committee members.

“Mother Nature always has the ability to show us where our limits are.”

WestJet executives said the airline had to cancel just over 1,600 flights between Dec. 16 and Jan. 8.

David Rheault, Air Canada’s vice-president of government and community relations, called on the government to invest more of the taxes and fees it collects from airlines into industry infrastructure so that it can cope more effectively with weather disruptions.

“This money should be reinvested into the air transport infrastructure,” Rheault told the committee. “We need to move forward with digitization, facility upgrades and other improvements.”

Representatives of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Aéroports de Montreal and the Vancouver Airport Authority are also testifying.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra will appear before the committee in the afternoon. Thursday’s committee hearing is set to run until 4:30 p.m. ET.

In a news conference before the committee meeting Thursday morning, NDP transport critic Taylor Bachrach said he hoped the airline CEOs and Alghabra would be forthcoming about issues in the industry — and committed to change.

“Canadian travellers deserve answers, and they deserve better than the dumpster fire that…