A disappointed New Westminster, B.C., couple has had to cancel their destination wedding in Mexico with 46 family members and friends after Sunwing Holidays cancelled vacations to the country following the swine influenza outbreak.
The groom, Terry Leeman, said the travel vouchers Sunwing provided will not allow the couple or their guests to rebook to other Caribbean destinations the company offers in time for their May 8th wedding date.
The company has issued vouchers that will last until the middle of December, but what Leeman and his bride Emily McCombie want is a full refund.
"We've got so many friends that have booked off this one week through work, May 3 to 10... and, unfortunately, it will be incredibly hard to get everyone back together again," said Leeman.
If they got their money back they could keep the date -- and change the location.
If Sunwing won't give them a refund their wedding will be postponed indefinitely.
Leeman and McCombie aren't alone. A Richmond, B.C., woman had her birthday vacation plans to Mexico cancelled by charter airline Air Transat.
Linda Johnson told ctvbc.ca she was having problems rebooking through the airlines website -- because the only other Caribbean vacations on offer were significantly more expensive than the Mayan Riveria trip she had booked.
Johnson said comparable packages to places like Cuba were $450 a person more expensive.
"It doesn't bother me that we've been given flight credits, but they have really jacked up the prices to every destination," she said.
"It just seems to me that they're gouging. It chokes me... I don't want to add another $900 for me and my friend."
She said she called Air Transat and was told there was nothing they could do.
Jean-Michel Laberge of Air Transat disputed Johnson's allegations about the prices being too high, saying vacationers got a better deal than in the past.
"The price right now is very, very good for customers. The rates are better than a couple of years ago, all the [travel industry] studies prove that," he said.
He said the company was still adding new Caribbean vacation packages in the aftermath of the cancellations.
"In the past 24 hours we have been putting more holiday packages up. There is a lot more availability today than yesterday," he said.
"If this person is aware of this industry, they will know that the price fluctuation is frequent... Higher and lower, that's the story of the tourism industry."
Laberge advised travellers wanting to book with Air Transat in order to replace cancelled Mexican vacations to keep checking as changes to spring schedules had not yet been finalized.
"It all depends on demand and capacity," he said.
For more information on cancellations, check out the websites below:
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Shannon Patterson
