Sunwing cancelling majority of remaining winter flights from Regina
Sunwing has cancelled the majority of its flights out of Regina for the remainder of the winter travel season.
The cancellations, due to “extenuating circumstances,” are effective Feb. 4, 2023.
“This impacts weekly flights from Regina to Mexico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, with the exception of Sunday departures to Puerto Vallarta starting on February 5th,” Sunwing confirmed in an emailed statement.
James Bogusz, president and CEO of the Regina Airport Authority, said this creates a major challenge for passengers.
“This is now the second round of significant cancellations (Sunwing has) done on relatively short notice and obviously people have vacations planned,” Bogusz said.
“These are folks, who in many cases have booked months in advance to get away to their sun destination and now they are going to be disappointed.”
Some Family Day weekend departures are also exempt, including flights to Puerto Vallarta on Feb. 17, Mazatlán on Feb. 17, and Cancun on Feb. 18 and 20. Those flights will operate as planned.
Travel agents including Ragan Sagar have been busy fielding calls from frustrated travels as a result of the cancellations.
Sagar, who manages C World Travel, said he has never had to deal with cancellations quite like this.
“What’s happening with Sunwing right now is completely different. Nobody was expecting they were going to take operations out from Regina,” he said.
Sunwing is offering customers the ability to transfer their vacation packages to same-day departures from Winnipeg, Saskatoon or other Canadian airports at their original pricing, pending availability.
Customers can also opt to cancel their vacations for a full refund, if preferred.
"We sincerely apologize to our valued customers and airport partner in Regina for the inconvenience and disruption,” Sunwing said.
“Following the preliminary cancellations in January, the difficult decision to cancel more of our winter program was necessary due to operational and business constraints that would prevent us from delivering the standards of service our customers in Regina expect and deserve when travelling with Sunwing.”
The airline said it hopes to re-establish a full program for flights out of Regina for the 2023-24 season.
“We certainly hope to not see these disruptions in the future. This has been one of the most challenging winter seasons I’ve seen by a wide margin here in Regina,” Bogusz said.
WESTJET ADDS ADDITIONAL CALGARY-BOUND FLIGHTS TO YQR
Bogusz said it is not all bad news for YQR.
WestJet is adding two additional daily flights to Calgary beginning in mid-February, he said, after Air Canada cut all of its Calgary flights from Saskatchewan.
“In total, this will represent about 5,000 new seats travelling to Calgary on a monthly basis for departures,” he said.
“This is huge news and this is going to help our visitor economy.”
Regina will now have 200 flights to Calgary each month, according to Bogusz. Depending on the day of the week, there will be five to seven daily Calgary-bound flights.
“Calgary is a major market out of Regina and it is typically our top market annually in terms of where people travel to,” Bogusz said.
In general, travel demand increased throughout 2022, Bogusz said.
“Despite having a very high cancellation rate in December with Sunwing, weather delays, etc, we still saw 74 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. That’s the best month we’ve had all year,” he said.
He believes travel levels will increase up to 85 per cent in 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPs to vote on motion to oust House Speaker Greg Fergus over allegations of partisanship
Members of Parliament will be voting Tuesday on a Conservative-led motion to oust House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus, amid renewed concern over his 'alleged lack of impartiality.'
Why young people keep getting caught in debt traps and how to break the cycle
Canadians are feeling the squeeze between incomes that haven't kept up with the cost of living, housing crises in markets across the country and rising interest rates brought in to control inflation. Experts share some tips for managing debt and spending.
Richard Dreyfuss' comments about women, LGBTQ2S+ people and diversity lead venue to apologize
The actor Richard Dreyfuss showed up in a dress at a 'Jaws'-themed event in Massachusetts, where the blockbuster 1975 movie he starred in was shot, and then proceeded to make demeaning remarks about women, LGBTQ2S+ people and diversity.
Severe thunderstorms, 15 cm of snow: Canadian weather forecast highlights
Well into spring, some parts of Canada could experience a wintry comeback, while other areas are bracing for severe thunderstorms, according to local forecasts.
WATCH Airline pilot treated to stunning northern lights show during U.S.-Portugal flight
An airline pilot got quite a show on May 11 while flying from San Francisco to Lisbon when a solar storm caused stunning auroras.
Tornado touches down west of the Island of Montreal
Emergency services in the town of Rigaud, Que. are investigating after a tornado touched down shortly after 5:30 p.m.
At least 60 reports of Lyme disease so far as Ontario enters tick season
Peak tick season is only just beginning but reports of bites – and tick-borne illnesses – are already higher than normal in Ontario.
Spy watchdog's foreign interference review finds 'unacceptable gaps' in accountability
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service and Public Safety Canada lacked a system for tracking who received and read specific intelligence on foreign interference, creating 'unacceptable gaps in accountability,' the national spy watchdog has found.
Man convicted in attack on Pelosi's husband back in court after judge's error
A man who assaulted U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband in 2022 will have another day in court on Tuesday after the federal judge overseeing the case failed to allow him to speak during his sentencing hearing earlier this month.