Travellers stranded for days at Trudeau airport after new discount airline cancels flights
More than 100 tourists are stranded in Montreal after their flight back to Europe was cancelled over the weekend.
The Spanish discount airline Level had a flight scheduled to leave Montreal for Paris on Saturday evening.
But two hours before the departure time, passengers found out the flight had been cancelled.
Adrienn Nagy, from Hungary, took a train to Paris and then took a cheap flight to Montreal for a two-week vacation. Ever since Saturday's flight was cancelled, she's been staying in a hotel while trying to get more information from the airline.
"It's really bad because I cannot even say anything to my employer. I'm stuck in Canada, I don't know when I can go, and I am updating my manager with information that all of the flights are cancelled," Nagy said.
Nagy and three others from Hungary went back with their luggage to Trudeau airport Monday, thinking they'd be on the evening flight. But the departure board showed service was cancelled again.
"I don't know when I'll go back. I don't even know the date. I cannot tell you when, and nothing is happening, and I don't get contacted. It's not the best experience."
In a statement, Level told CBC News that flights were cancelled due to "operational reasons," and it apologizes for the disruption.
"Our colleagues are working on re-booking customers onto alternative flights or re-routing everyone affected."
Level began operating direct flights from Paris to Montreal two weeks ago.
It says the next flight to Paris may be on Thursday or Saturday — a full week after passengers' original scheduled departure.
The Office de la protection du consommateur says that Quebec travellers can get reimbursed for cancelled flights, but only if they've booked their trip via a travel agency that holds a specific licence.
That licence gives customers access to a compensation fund.
"This fund can be used to reimburse you when a paid service is not rendered, for instance, following the closure of an airline. You cannot benefit from these forms of protection if the agency does not hold a licence, or if you make a reservation directly with the service provider (hotel, airline, etc.)," the bureau's website states.
It says travellers can verify which travel agencies are licensed by doing a search on its website.
