Stranded passengers ‘exhausted,’ ‘annoyed’ over four days of Wabush flight cancellations

Passengers looking to fly into Wabush are voicing their frustrations after Wabush Airport cancelled multiple flights for several days, leaving hundreds stranded ahead of the holidays.

Since Friday, the airport’s runway has been closed to traffic due to severe weather and PAL Airlines said it’s significantly disrupting operations. 

The runway will also remain closed on Monday, wrote the airline on social media, adding it will “make best efforts to assist with accommodations” for passengers whose travel was interrupted mid-journey.

PAL also wrote it is committed to “recovering out operations” in Wabush, and said the airport should provide another update during the day.

In an email to CBC News, PAL’s senior vice-president of public affairs Joseph Galimberti said buses have been arranged to bring passengers from Wabush to Happy Valley-Goose Bay and would be leaving shortly.

In a social media post, PAL said it had secured a “limited number” of buses and was reaching out to customers. It added more updates will come as the airline receives information on the status of the Wabush runway.

Passengers at Goose Bay Airport are growing frustrated by the flight delays.

Karlene Williams says after her first flight to Wabush was cancelled, she was about to go through security for her second flight when she found it was also cancelled.

“I’m tired, exhausted. We didn’t even make it to the bins,” she told CBC News.

Now, Williams says her father is driving almost six hours, each way, to pick her up and bring her home.

Williams says the airline’s communication has been “terrible” and while still on the plane, passengers were able to see more information on Facebook before the flight attendants gave them an update.

She added the airline told passengers it would not be offering accommodations.

“I can’t imagine families with kids, pets, people who can’t afford to stay here for like two or three nights out of the blue. Like, it’s ridiculous,” Williams said.

Lucas Fitzpatrick is one passenger trying to make it home to Labrador City, but has been left stranded in Quebec City. 

His journey home started on Friday, when he went to Montreal hoping to catch a morning flight to Wabush. He said the plane was fully boarded for an hour when they were told that they wouldn’t be taking off that day.

On Saturday his flight was rescheduled to take him to Quebec City, then Labrador. But once arriving in Quebec City, Fitzpatrick said the flight was cancelled again. 

While the airline says it is working to, or has provided, accommodations to stranded passengers, Fitzpatrick says PAL declined to offer him any help. 

“I asked about accommodations and they said it was weather related so they couldn’t. They didn’t do anything,” he said. “I am very annoyed.”

For now, Fitzpatrick said he is relying on help from his family. Although he has a flight scheduled for a Monday morning flight, he isn’t hopeful. 

If delayed again, he says “My parents are … willing to fill a few jerry cans and drive to Quebec City to get me.”

Labrador MP Phillip Earle also took to social media to address the runway closures, writing he has been in communication with the Wabush Airport and the airline. 

“Airport crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to improve runway conditions, while the airlines have deployed additional staff and resources and are working around the clock to recover operations and clear the backlog of affected passengers,” he wrote. 

Earle said the airport is focused on restoring service safely and further updates will be provided. 

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