No Airplane, No Problem, says WJ…..for us.

[rookiepilot]

Take the Bus!

Maybe this will become the new norm in Canada……..

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ ... -1.6762090

[-42]

It’s really sad what air travel has succumbed to. People showing up in pyjamas and flip flops. Airlines throwing you a juice box…..maybe and then canceling your flight and shrugging their shoulders. Meanwhile top brass laughs all the way to your bank account aka tax dollars when the ultimately fail. Drive or take a boat.

[TalkingPie]

I'm going to offer an alternative view on this specific situation here:

WestJet found a proactive solution (the article said the bus left about an hour after the flight's arrival), they offered vouchers to make sure passengers could get food, and they got their passengers home on the same day as they were originally supposed to. Given the challenges that the weather in the west must have posed to air travel in the last few days, this could have gone a lot worse. I've certainly seen much worse from Canadian airlines in far more foreseeable circumstances.

Despite the snow storms over the weekend, WestJet even admitted that the cause for the cancellation was unscheduled maintenance, as opposed to at least one other Canadian airline, which tries to attach "weather" to every possible situation in order to try to get around its legal responsibilities to passengers.

Of all the reasons to be frustrated with Canadian aviation, this rates as a very mild example to me.

[TeePeeCreeper]

I don’t work for WestJet but unlike many delay’s I and other full fare paying passengers have experienced as of late, at the very least this company found a “work around”. Obviously it wasn’t ideal.

Albert, Would your airline have done so? (Finding a workaround) Sadly I doubt mine would have…

TPC

[albertdesalvo]

Whatever you say, sergeant. Keep the single malt coming!

[flap30]

I'm going to offer an alternative view on this specific situation here:

WestJet found a proactive solution (the article said the bus left about an hour after the flight's arrival), they offered vouchers to make sure passengers could get food, and they got their passengers home on the same day as they were originally supposed to. Given the challenges that the weather in the west must have posed to air travel in the last few days, this could have gone a lot worse. I've certainly seen much worse from Canadian airlines in far more foreseeable circumstances.

Despite the snow storms over the weekend, WestJet even admitted that the cause for the cancellation was unscheduled maintenance, as opposed to at least one other Canadian airline, which tries to attach "weather" to every possible situation in order to try to get around its legal responsibilities to passengers.

Of all the reasons to be frustrated with Canadian aviation, this rates as a very mild example to me.

And I'll offer a taste of reality......
When an airline executive is stranded they charter a nice shiny business jet that typically costs 80-120,000K. But here's a voucher and a bus.

If you pay for an airline flight home, you should receive an airline flight home. If I get sick I should be able to walk into my nearby hospital without being told drive 7 hours to another hospital.

Yes I agree bigger problems to worry about.

[rookiepilot]

I'm going to offer an alternative view on this specific situation here:

WestJet found a proactive solution (the article said the bus left about an hour after the flight's arrival), they offered vouchers to make sure passengers could get food, and they got their passengers home on the same day as they were originally supposed to. Given the challenges that the weather in the west must have posed to air travel in the last few days, this could have gone a lot worse. I've certainly seen much worse from Canadian airlines in far more foreseeable circumstances.

Despite the snow storms over the weekend, WestJet even admitted that the cause for the cancellation was unscheduled maintenance, as opposed to at least one other Canadian airline, which tries to attach "weather" to every possible situation in order to try to get around its legal responsibilities to passengers.

Of all the reasons to be frustrated with Canadian aviation, this rates as a very mild example to me.

Agree.

Until airlines figure out there is zero pushback, and every short haul light load that won't make money, suddenly develops "unscheduled maintenance issues", and a bus appears.

This is called a trial balloon.

[justwork]

That's neat. I'd be super pumped if I bought a plane ticket and ended up on a bus, more leg room and the drivers are likely more experienced.

[digits_]

That's neat. I'd be super pumped if I bought a plane ticket and ended up on a bus, more leg room and the drivers are likely more experienced.

I just hope they would drop me off at the gate at the airport, in order to keep a sterile safety environment. After all, that's what I'm paying for. Safety first!

[accountant]

1 - This was already posted (by me)

2 - the sheer cost of doing this relating to loss of reputational damage (you can't buy this negative press.... lol) is not worth having sent customers by bus. the amount of bad press has been unreal.

Besides.... they could do this on many other routes.... and don't. Why this one?

[pelmet]

You guys remind me of the fake news. Don't tell the whole story. Like all airlines, a plane broke down. The passengers had the option of waiting for a flight with a big delay. But the company went out of their way to provide a bus for those who wanted to get home earlier.

"In order to best support impacted guests in reaching their destination as quickly as possible, ground transportation was arranged to provide an immediate travel option for those who were unable to wait for an alternative flight option."

Despite the snow storms over the weekend, WestJet even admitted that the cause for the cancellation was unscheduled maintenance, as opposed to at least one other Canadian airline, which tries to attach "weather" to every possible situation in order to try to get around its legal responsibilities to passengers.

I was in Toronto a few months ago on a cloudy day and I became aware of a Jazz cancellation(I like to look at the board to see which flights were delayed and cancelled). The announcement in the terminal for the cancellation blamed it on weather. No other cancellations at all. It was the only one on the board. The weather at its destination was fine.

[‘Bob’]

A BUS!!!???

Relax... that's how over 50% of Castlegar passengers have arrived for as long as there has been air travel.

[cdnavater]

You guys remind me of the fake news. Don't tell the whole story. Like all airlines, a plane broke down. The passengers had the option of waiting for a flight with a big delay. But the company went out of their way to provide a bus for those who wanted to get home earlier.

"In order to best support impacted guests in reaching their destination as quickly as possible, ground transportation was arranged to provide an immediate travel option for those who were unable to wait for an alternative flight option."

Despite the snow storms over the weekend, WestJet even admitted that the cause for the cancellation was unscheduled maintenance, as opposed to at least one other Canadian airline, which tries to attach "weather" to every possible situation in order to try to get around its legal responsibilities to passengers.

I was in Toronto a few months ago on a cloudy day and I became aware of a Jazz cancellation(I like to look at the board to see which flights were delayed and cancelled). The announcement in the terminal for the cancellation blamed it on weather. No other cancellations at all. It was the only one on the board. The weather at its destination was fine.

I obviously don’t know anything about this specific event but you are aware that the aircraft or crew for that flight may have been at an airport that was affected by weather.
For example, my flight today was YYZ to YWG, it was delayed 3 hours due to weather in YEG. It could have easily been a cancellation if the crew was well into their duty period and a 3 hour delay in YEG put them over, it happens.