6-hour WestJet flight home turns into 3-day nightmare for B.C. family

What was expected to beryllium a elemental six-hour formation turned into a three-day nightmare for a Victoria family.

Stephanie Sherlock, her 77-year-old mother and her ex-husband were travelling location connected WestJet from Thunder Bay past play pinch an expected layover astatine nan Richardson International Airport. However, erstwhile 1 of their flights was cancelled, they were forced to walk 42 hours successful Winnipeg.

The hose put them up successful a edifice that nighttime pinch nutrient vouchers. They were put connected a formation to Calgary, arriving astatine astir midnight nan adjacent day, but WestJet said they would person different layover, and worse, location were nary rooms disposable owed to nan Calgary Stampede.

The trio was forced to walk nan nighttime connected couches astatine nan terminal and did not person immoderate nutrient vouchers.

“It was, it was awful,” Sherlock told Global News.

Her aged mother Dorothy Johnson has a encephalon tumour, while her ex-husband has a encephalon wounded and a beingness disablement arsenic a consequence of a monolithic stroke.

The travel location was expected to beryllium six hours pinch 1 layover successful Winnipeg.

“We should’ve been location (at) 8:30 a.m. connected Saturday greeting and we sewage location astatine 8 o’clock connected Monday night,” Sherlock said.

“It was horrible to spot my mother having to laic connected that bench. We are quality beings, they had perfectly nary respect for my mom’s dignity and (my ex-husband’s) dignity.

“And nobody, cipher cared.”

Johnson said she was very disappointed pinch nan airline.

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In a statement, WestJet said, “We sincerely apologize to Ms. Sherlock and her recreation companions for nan inconvenience.”

The connection confirmed that nan hose is obligated to travel nan Air Passenger Protection regulations.

But 1 master said that is laughable.

“It is rather clear that nan hose was conscionable grossly disregarding nan rules,” Gábor Lukács pinch Air Passenger Rights told Global News.

“The existent problem is WestJet feels unafraid and feels it tin get distant pinch this type of behaviour because nan national regulator will not really do thing to make it look consequences.”

Sherlock said she wanted to stock her acquisition truthful group would deliberation doubly astir flying because airlines cannot run without customers.

“Without us, you don’t person a business,” she said. “It cannot beryllium allowed to continue.”