Some passengers were stuck at YVR for more than 24 hours after Air India’s flight to New Delhi was cancelled
Passengers flying from Vancouver to New Delhi have been stuck at Vancouver Airport for more than 24 hours and many have nowhere to go after their flight was delayed and then canceled on Monday morning.
Those who were close enough simply went home. Dozens of others weren’t so lucky.
James Campbell traveled from Victoria to Vancouver and has been waiting at the airport for his flight since Monday.
He says the flight was originally scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on March 13. It was canceled and rebooked for 8pm
The passengers didn’t board the plane until 11 p.m. Monday, Campbell said, after which they sat there.
“It wasn’t air-conditioned. It wasn’t particularly clean,” Campbell said, describing the whole situation as “chaotic” and “random”.
After about an hour of waiting, the flight crew brought snacks and water. Twenty minutes later, Campbell said they were ordered to exit the plane.
Passengers made their way to baggage claim, where Campbell says they waited another hour and 40 minutes for their bags to arrive.
“We’ve been sitting at the airport ever since,” Campbell said on Tuesday.
He was rebooked on another flight to India – in two days. Unlike some passengers, he can’t just go home and wait. Instead, he hoped the airline would put him somewhere, or at least offer more information on the situation.
Campbell said he was eventually able to speak to someone from the airline and was told there were no more hotels available and passengers would need to find out and provide receipts to Air India for compensation.
In an email to CBC News, Air India said the flight had been canceled due to “technical reasons”. A YVR spokesman said this was due to an aircraft maintenance issue.
The airline said passengers would be seated on the earliest alternative flight available.
What rights do you have?
The Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) – the standards for airlines operating in Canada – group flight disruptions into three distinct categories: situations within the airline’s control, situations within the airline’s control but where the disruption is necessary for safety reasons, such as unforeseen maintenance issues or pilot safety decisions and situations beyond the airline’s control.
Compensation varies depending on which category the flight falls into, and the airline must notify passengers of the reason for the flight disruption, per APPR.
If a flight is canceled or delayed more than three hours, the airline must offer alternative travel arrangements in the same class of service. Using a reasonable route, they must transfer the passenger to the next available flight operated by them or another airline.
The APPR states that if a passenger is forced to wait overnight, airlines must offer and cover the cost of a hotel or other accommodation and free transportation there.
If passengers are not satisfied with the alternative travel arrangements, there are circumstances in which they can also request a refund or further compensation.
