Air Canada Wildcat Strike affects Halifax
Posted Mar 23, 2012 09:26:58 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Montreal bound Air Canada flight was cancelled Friday morning stranding passengers at Halifax International Airport
More than a hundred workers illegally walked off the job at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport causing a backlog of delays across the country while managers took over baggage handling and other duties.
The delays starting hitting the Maritimes by mid morning.
“First thing in the morning, the vast majority of our outbound lights are headed west into Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, into the U.S.” said Peter Spurway, spokesperson for Halifax Stanfield International Airport. “But as the day goes on, any disruption in Toronto will affect the entire country.”
Morning flights out of the Saint John Airport, the Greater Moncton Airport were also cancelled or delayed.
Stranded Passengers were being put on standby for flights leaving hours later than their original flight.
One family found themselves stranded in Halifax after they flew up from Sydney en route to Montreal.
“To book another flight on another airline we won’t get to Montreal in time to see the game tonight. So, there’s no point in going to Montreal, and it would be a thousand dollars each way,” said Valerie Livingston who has already paid for game tickets and a hotel.
Despite the inconvenience and monetary loss, Livingston said she hasn’t lost any faith in Air Canada.
“We both belong to unions,” she said pointing to her husband. “Strikes aren’t popular but you’ve got to do it when it’s going affect the most people. That’s just the way it is. You have the right to strike.”
Not all passengers on the cancelled Montreal flight share that opinion. Some passengers say they have lost faith in the company.
“It’s the second time it’s happened to me,” said one businessman who was stranded in the departure lounge as his colleagues miles away get their morning meetings underway. “A few years ago in New York a flight also got cancelled on me unexpectedly.”
