WestJet passengers bussed to Regina after flight cancellation

What was supposed to be a quick one-hour flight from Calgary to Regina turned into an eight-hour bus ride Sunday night.

WestJet flight #WS298 was scheduled to depart the Calgary International Airport to Regina at 4:20 p.m. but was cancelled due to what the company called unscheduled maintenance.

Instead of rescheduling another flight, the airline offered ground transportation that would leave at 4:00 p.m., leaving travellers frustrated.

The bus arrived at the Regina airport around 1:00 a.m.

A total of three buses were reportedly used to transport stranded travellers from Calgary to Regina.

Among the travellers, Mae Johnson and her son were travelling home from visiting family in the Rocky Mountains, when they were notified of the cancelled flight. They said they were not left with many options.

“We were not given many options at all. WestJet Airline agents told us if we did not get on the bus, we would be stuck in Calgary until March 1,” Johnson said.

Other passengers were luckier in rebooking a flight.

Regina resident Chris Henderson was thankful WestJet was able to get him on a flight to Regina Monday morning.

“I was one of the lucky ones. I think there are still a lot more people stuck in Calgary right now,” Henderson said.

The musician added that airlines in the province are becoming more unpredictable and untrustworthy.

“The state of airline travel in Saskatchewan is in real trouble and that will impact business here in this province,” Henderson said. “It is something that needs to one way or another be addressed.”

CTV News reached out to WestJet and Air Canada to find out if ground transportation was a common practice for cancelled flights.

In a statement to CTV News, WestJet apologized to the passengers of flight WS298, claiming that a high demand for aircraft led to buses being used as an 'immediate travel option.'

"Unfortunately, re-accommodation options were limited due to the high demand for travel over the weekend and significant weather events across Vancouver and Vancouver Island which caused compounding operational impacts and limited aircraft availability," the statement read.

"In order to best support impacted guests in reaching their destination as quickly as possible, ground transportation was arranged to provide an immediate travel option for those who were unable to wait for an alternative flight option."

In another statement, Air Canada said that ground transportation has only been used between Regina and Saskatoon on a very limited basis and only when there is no immediate opportunity to get to the other city.

Air Canada has not used ground transportation to other cities to or from Saskatchewan, the airline claimed.

Air Canada explained that general practices for managing cancelled flights include rebooking passengers on available flights or booking a larger aircraft if possible to accommodate.

The Regina International Airport said they have made no decisions when it comes to how and when passengers arrive and that the situation was unique.

“This is the first time we have seen an airline take passengers from Calgary to Regina via bus,” Justin Reves, manager of customer experience and marketing at YQR said.

Johnson is hoping the airline accepts her claim for the flight cancellation but is hesitant to book future flights out west.

“I think my next trip is going to be driving to the Rockies since WestJet is unable to get me home,” Johnson said.