Numerous Air Canada flights were cancelled at Vancouver Airport on Sunday, forcing many vacationers to be stranded in Vancouver, delay their return home, or buy a much more expensive return ticket.
Tara Burke was in Whistler with three other people this weekend, and they were going to fly back to Toronto on Sunday. Burke said she received a text message from Air Canada around 6:30 a.m. Sunday, telling her that her flight has been cancelled, and that the airline cannot help her rebook.
"Air Canada was saying, when I called, there was a runway problem," said Burke, who added she and her friends have now spent $3,000 to book alternative flights with WestJet. "And our ticket agent just now said it's a labour dispute that seems to be spreading."
On Sunday morning, Air Canada cited operational difficulties, such as bad weather and a disruption caused by a fire in Toronto's Pearson Airport, as the reason behind numerous flight delays and cancellations across the country. However, by the afternoon, the airline added that a higher-than-usual number of pilots calling in sick contributed to the flight disruptions.
"While Air Canada supports the right of its employees to book off when they are unwell or otherwise unfit to work, we cannot condone such activities as part of industrial action to disrupt our operations and we have asked the [Canadian Industrial Relations Board] to intervene," said Air Canada representative Peter Fitzpatrick.
The pilot book-offs come just after the passing of back-to-work legislation that prevents Air Canada from locking out pilots, and prevents pilots and workers from striking.
Golnar Rastar, who also had her flight to Toronto cancelled on Sunday, fears she will be docked pay if she does not return to work by Monday. She was in Vancouver with her family for spring break.
"We come [to Vancouver] every spring and it's usually fine," she said. "We were sort of thinking they were going to go on strike [before March break], and we were on tenterhooks. And then we heard there was no strike action, so we were relieved."
Yves Lafortune, from Ottawa, said he was not surprised by the flight cancellations.
"When you take away the right to strike, there's nothing left, so they've (pilots) come up with this and we always pay in the end," he said.
With files from CTV British Columbia's Shannon Paterson
