“WestJet’s Apology: Chaos in Costa Rica Leaves Travelers Stranded”

Over 100 passengers, including residents of Ottawa, found themselves stranded in Costa Rica this week due to a travel nightmare.

A WestJet flight, scheduled to depart from Liberia, Costa Rica to Toronto on Saturday, ended up remaining on the runway for five hours before being completely cancelled.

The situation left many without accommodations for the night or food, including some travelers with infants and mobility aids.

For one family from Ottawa, this became a travel fiasco following a desperately needed holiday retreat.

“My husband is a neurosurgeon, and I’m a nurse practitioner. We seldom travel,” Margarita Sachs remarked, who was journeying with her spouse and twin teenagers. “Going on vacation was significant for us.”

The travel troubles commenced with a standard boarding process at Liberia airport for their WestJet flight, yet there were warning signs as soon as they boarded.

“The pilot informed us of a delay due to what he referred to as a ‘passport verification issue’ with one of the crew members,” Adam Sachs explained, who mentions he was stuck in Costa Rica for over 24 hours.

“We remained on the tarmac for two hours waiting for that to be addressed. Altogether, our time on the tarmac and the plane was about five hours.”

Sachs noted that this was merely the outset of the delays.

“We received word that there was debris on the runway and that we would need to wait for it to be cleared. We had no idea how long that would take,” Sachs shared.

“In a strange turn of events, some customs officers or police boarded the aircraft and told us they needed to search rows 12 to 14 for security purposes.”

After hours of sitting on the tarmac without proper meal service, the family’s frustration grew when the pilot announced another update.

“The pilot resumed and simply stated: ‘My work hours have concluded and regrettably, we will not be flying tonight,'” Sachs recounted. “The pilot said: ‘You will need to disembark, pass through customs, and a WestJet representative will meet you.'”

However, Sachs pointed out that upon exiting the aircraft, there was no representative present.

They were also unable to locate a nearby hotel and ultimately paid US$1,500 for a night at a resort an hour and a half away from the airport. They additionally had to cover transportation costs, while the airline rebooked their flight for the following day.

“Document everything. Record announcements with your phone, and once you return to Canada for any incurred costs, you can file a claim with the airline and request details and potentially even documents regarding what transpired. You deserve to know, as your rights hinge on the reason for the delay,” advised Gabor Lukacs, president of Air Passenger Rights, an advocacy group for travelers.

WestJet has expressed regret for the disruptions and indicated that the primary delay stemmed from customs complications.

“We sincerely apologize to guests travelling on WS2171 for the inconveniences they faced during their recent journey from Liberia to Toronto. We confirm that WS2171 was initially delayed on Saturday, December 28 due to customs,” the airline stated in a message to CTV News Ottawa.

“After takeoff, the runway was temporarily closed due to unexpected damage, necessitating the flight to turn back to the gate. The runway has since reopened, and a recovery flight has been scheduled to depart at 4 p.m. today for guests who were supposed to fly on WS2171 yesterday.”

Lukacs mentioned that it is the airline’s responsibility in cases of crew members’ documentation issues, but not in relation to local customs inspections.

The family was rescheduled on a flight to Toronto the day after their original departure, yet the continuation of their trip to Ottawa is not until Monday evening, leading to an even greater delay.

“I would like reimbursement for the hotel expenses incurred during our travel, and I would also like them to arrange for us to fly with another carrier to get home sooner,” Sachs expressed.

“Moreover, if we must stay in Toronto tomorrow night, I request that they cover the hotel costs in Toronto.”