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
BREAKING Israel attacks Iran, Reuters sources say; drones reported over Isfahan
Israel has attacked Iran, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Iranian state media reported early on Friday that its forces had destroyed drones, days after Iran launched a retaliatory drone strike on Israel.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.