A disappointed Flair customer says she’s lost trust in the airline after experiencing a devastating flight cancellation hours before flying to a family wedding, causing her and her children to miss the special day.
Jessica Forster Broomfield told Daily Hive that she, her husband, and their three kids were scheduled to fly from Abbotsford to Toronto on Flair flight FA8662 on Friday, May 31.
The family was heading to Forster Broomfield’s sister-in-law’s wedding, taking place on Saturday, June 1.
The initial flight was scheduled to depart at 4:30 pm on Friday. Early that morning, Forster Broomfield said she woke up to a text message and email from Flair stating that the flight had been delayed until 1 am on Saturday.
The long delay was a bit disappointing but manageable, as it meant the family would have to rush to arrive and get ready for the festivities.
On Friday afternoon, while Forster Broomfield was on her way to pick up her kids from school, she said she received another text from Flair informing her that the flight had been cancelled.
A copy of an email she received from Flair stated that the cancellation was due to “unanticipated maintenance outside [the airline’s] control.” It added that she and her family would be rebooked “on the next available flight.”
Jessica Forster Broomfield / Supplied
Panic then set in for the BC resident, who called her husband to find alternative flight arrangements to Toronto to make it in time for the Saturday wedding. She didn’t want to take any more chances with Flair.
“Flights were incredibly expensive,” said Forster Broomfield, noting that one-way trips were nearly $650, meaning it would be very expensive to rebook tickets for the entire family.
Response from Flair was “not helpful”
When she returned home, Forster Broomfield said she got on the phone with Flair. The airline informed her that her flight would be rebooked, but not until Sunday, June 8, eight days later.
“I was like, “That is not helpful.” How do you rebook me eight days later? That flight would have landed in Toronto Sunday morning and our flight back to Abbotsford was Sunday night, ” she explained.
Forster Broomfield said that she kept trying to tell the representative that her family’s case was urgent and they needed to make it to a wedding in less than 24 hours. She asked if there was any way they could be rebooked on a flight with a competitor but claimed Flair didn’t give her any further options.
Eventually, the representative agreed to refund the family’s flight cost of $1,250.
Forster Broomfield also went through Flair’s website to make a claim for further compensation under the Air Passenger Protection code.
An email response from Flair stated she would not be eligible for any additional compensation for the cancellation because the issue was due to a safety problem outside Flair’s control.
“We hope you can appreciate that we never intend to delay our passengers, however, there are situations where it is unavoidable, and we will never compromise the safety of our customers or crew,” reads the email.
“Under Air Passenger Protection, passengers are entitled to compensation if the cause of the interruption is within the carrier’s control and not required for safety,” stated Flair.
Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Code states that “If an airline delays or cancels a flight for reasons outside its control, it does not have to compensate affected passengers, and the requirement to provide minimum assistance (food, drink, access to communications, and overnight accommodations) does not apply. ”
However, the code also notes that the operating airline must ensure passengers complete their journey.
“If a flight is cancelled, or once a flight delay has reached three hours, the airline must provide the passenger with a confirmed reservation on the next available flight that is operated by the original airline or an airline with which the original airline has a commercial agreement,” states the code, noting that the flight “must depart within 48 hours after the departure time on the passenger’s on the original ticket.”
If the reservation can’t be scheduled within that time period, the airline must either provide a refund or make alternative travel arrangements for passengers, free of charge.
Canadian Transportation Agency/ Screenshot
Forster Broomfield said that while she and her kids were unable to rebook flights to Toronto to attend the wedding, her husband was able to make it — but not thanks to any of Flair’s doing.
He managed to fly on standby to Toronto later that night because a family member who worked at YVR shared their flight buddy pass with him.
A moment they can’t get back
Although Forster Broomfield was able to get a refund, she said missing a much-anticipated family celebration was heartbreaking.
“Weddings are not moments you get back,” she explained, adding that her young children were so excited about the trip.
“The next day [our family] was trying to video call us from the wedding and everybody’s there and we’re the people that were missing. It was crushing,” she said.
The family was also planning to visit Forester Broomfield’s relatives in Toronto during the week.
“My dad passed away in March, and I had not yet seen any of my Toronto family since it happened, so [I] was really looking forward to that too.”
In a statement to Daily Hive, Flair doubled down on its initial correspondence with Forster Broomfield.
“We are sorry for the cancellation — first and foremost. All customers were offered options to rebook if the alternative flight they were booked for didn’t meet their needs,” stated Flair representative in an email to Daily Hive.
“This type of cancellation does not meet the requirements for additional compensation.”
Forester Broomfield said she’s looking into other avenues to file a complaint against Flair.
She added that she chose to book with Flair because it was the most economical option for her family of five, which speaks to the lack of choice Canadians have when it comes to airlines.
“There is such a need in Canada for low-cost carriers because geographically, we are a huge country, but we’re still one country,” she said.
“So the ability for citizens and residents to be able to travel across our own country is an important thing and to have it cost more money than for me to go on a tropical vacation, that’s so silly.”
Daily Hive has reached out to the Canadian Transporation Agency for further comment.