Transport committee to meet over request to probe holiday travel chaos – National | 24CA News

Parliamentarians are assembly on Monday afternoon to debate whether or not to open a examine into the journey fiasco that affected Canadians over the winter vacation interval.

The standing committee on transport, infrastructure and communities goes to be discussing the request from a number of members for it to launch a examine on journey delays and the therapy of air and rail passengers, after 1000’s of Canadians confronted cancellations and delays as a consequence of poor climate.

Liberal committee chair Peter Schiefke made the request and will probably be main the assembly. He says he needs Sunwing and Via Rail earlier than the committee to reply questions on their dealing with of the winter storm journey disruptions final month, calling the therapy “unacceptable.”

The assembly on Monday is predicted to see members of the committee focus on the request for a examine and debate an inventory of potential witnesses to name and provides testimony.

In an unique interview with Global News Thursday, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra stated, if requested, he would testify earlier than the committee on the journey disruptions.

This comes as a whole bunch of Canadian travellers have been left stranded in Mexico and different sunny locations, after a significant winter storm over Christmas disrupted operations.

After Sunwing cancelled flights, some Canadians described being shuffled between inns in Mexico, generally arriving to seek out there have been no rooms booked for them. They stated Sunwing officers handed alongside inaccurate and incomplete details about after they may be capable of head dwelling.

On Thursday, Sunwing stated it had accomplished all restoration flights associated to the vacation disruption and apologized for “letting our customers down”.

“We are astutely aware that, for too many Canadians, we failed to live up to that promise this holiday season,” Sunwing Travel Group CEO Stephen Hunter and Sunwing Airlines president Len Corrado stated in a joint assertion on Thursday

“We had clear failures in execution, particularly in responding to weather-related delays and the aftermath of severe weather disruptions, which limited our ability to reposition aircraft and crew to other airports to help alleviate the backlog in flights.”

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Travel chaos: What recourse are passengers looking for from airways?

Meanwhile, a Saskatchewan legislation agency is taking a look at submitting a possible class motion lawsuit in opposition to Sunwing.

In an announcement on its web site, Merchant Law Group LLP stated that it’s evaluating the potential for sophistication motion litigation on behalf of Canadians who skilled a flight cancellation or delays longer than 9 hours that may’t be attributed to climate points or plane security.

The agency added that it’s additionally searching for anybody who had a visit cancellation, rerouting, or delay longer than 9 hours as a consequence of Sunwing’s blanket cancellations in Saskatchewan.

Sunwing has additionally halted flights from Saskatchewan till early February due to “extenuating circumstances,” drawing the ire of political leaders and passengers.

In addition to the airline cancellations, VIA Rail prospects additionally skilled vital disruptions over the vacations as a winter storm slammed Ontario and Quebec.

— with recordsdata from Rachel Gilmore, Aaron D’Andrea and The Canadian Press 

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