Blankets and cookies will be small comfort to passengers stranded at Vancouver International Airport with another winter storm blanketing the region Wednesday, causing more flight delays.
Some passengers have been stranded at the facility for more than two days.
But airport officials insist most of the backlog from the previous two days of cancellations has been cleared but they're ready for another major storm.
Forecasters are calling for as much as 20 centimetres to land Wednesday, on top of the 26 centimetres of snow that fell over the weekend.
That storm caused dozens of flights out of Vancouver to be delayed or cancelled.
CTV British Columbia's Rena Heer said the new snow would likely lead to more cancellations.
"Things come to a little bit of a grinding halt," Heer told CTV's Canada AM.
"Schools close, ferries stop working, especially local transit ferries haven't been working all that well, so it's been typical reaction as far as we're concerned."
Some flights were still delayed late Tuesday but the airport says teams are working around the clock to keep runways clear in advance of the coming storm.
"Airside and in the terminal, everyone has pulled together to minimize delays and make our customers comfortable while they wait for their flights," said a statement from the airport.
Riding out the storm
Around 50 staff handed out water, blankets, cookies and colouring books to stranded passengers, some of whom slept overnight at the airport rather than go home and lose their place in line.
Passengers booked on a delayed overnight flight to Toronto were given the option of sleeping on the plane instead.
"We thought it was more comfortable for them to look at the entertainment system and have refreshments," said an Air Canada spokesperson.
But some passengers say they were held hostage on the flight.
"They put us on a plane and left us there for 11 hours without moving, and with the threat we would lose our flight if we got off the plane," flight passenger Larry Mickolwin told Canada AM. "And technically they said you can't get off the plane if you have bags."
"They left us sitting in the dark saying it would be more comfortable sitting there than in the lobby, and they just didn't have their act together, so they left us there for 11 hours, and then our flight, so we were there for 16 hours."
Air Canada is offering $500 vouchers to anyone who was stuck on the flight.
Airport officials said people have a better chance of rebooking cancelled flights if they phone from home instead of coming to the airport.
"If the flight is delayed but scheduled to depart, check the status of the flight and leave plenty of time to check in," said the statement.
Incentives to cancel
WestJet is offering special incentives to Vancouver travellers who are willing to cancel flights booked prior to Dec. 22 for travel to Dec. 26.
Interior woes
Meanwhile, regional airports in B.C. are also announcing cancellations as the snow piles up.
Air Canada has scrubbed six flights in and out of Kamloops while four flights -- two in and two out -- have been waved off by Air Canada staff in Kelowna.
All travellers are advised to check with their airline before heading to the airport.
Getting ready for 2010
The upside to Tuesday's chaos was that it was excellent planning for the 2010 Winter Olympics, said Don Erenholz, vice-president of operations for the airport.
The facility is expecting snow storms during the run of the Games and the latest winter weather has given planners a chance to put computer models to the test.
"The volumes that we've seen in the last few days are probably close to the volumes we would see daily during the Olympics," he told a local television station.
"So we know what to expect and we are going to review everything that's happened in the last week and make sure that we're ready for the Olympics."
Transit headaches
Weather is also disrupting transit services for thousands of Lower Mainland commuters.
Waves of transit users were forced to endure lengthy delays Tuesday after the lines for trolley buses weren't de-iced over confusion over what kind of de-icing chemical should be used overnight.
"Weather conditions were particularly challenging (Tuesday) due to an adverse combination of humidity and temperature, so the ice built-up on the overhead lines almost as quickly as it was removed," said TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie in a statement.
TransLink officials said trolleys ran the lines all night Tuesday to make sure they were prepared for today's new influx of snow. Some buses at higher elevations are being rerouted because of the inclement weather.
HandiDART service is running on essential services only in most parts of the Lower Mainland.
No matter where you live, it's good advice to expect lengthy delays at bus stops and SkyTrain platforms.
Power problems
Already, the storm is causing power outages on Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands -- where 5,500 customers are affected.
Power was also severed to 800 customers in Campbell River just before seven this morning and a further 600 customers in Vernon are in the dark.
Deadly on the roads
Police said the weather was a factor in several vehicle accidents over the last two days, including one on the Coquihalla highway that left one dead and six injured.
Surrey RCMP officials were also reporting thieves taking advantage of the heavy snow by offering to help stranded motorists and then stealing their cars.
The winter weather is also stopping blood donors from rolling up their sleeves, said Canadian Blood Services.
Attendance at blood-donor clinics is down across the country.
Staff are having a hard time transporting blood products over the snow and ice, the agency said. Platelets, used to treat cancer patients, are in particularly short supply.
With files from The Canadian Press
