Fort St. John sisters’ Vegas trip turns sour amid Air Canada strike

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — North Peace sisters’ quick trip to the city of sin turned into a “logistical nightmare” because of the recent Air Canada strike.

The portion of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) that represents flight attendants for the main Air Canada airline as well as its ‘Air Canada Rouge’ leisure airline issued a strike notice to the company on August 13th.

Nearly a month prior, on July 15th, Kelly Lynn Herriot booked flights to Las Vegas with the airline, with plans to see the Backstreet Boys in concert. 

Her plan was simple: fly in alongside her sister on August 15th and arrive at 4:30 p.m., spend that evening and much of August 16th exploring the city, enjoy the concert in the evening of the 16th, then fly back to Fort St. John in the morning on the 17th.

Herriot saw the news that CUPE members had voted in favour of a strike on August 5th, but said she wasn’t concerned as she had been reassured that the earliest a strike could begin was the 16th.

“With our trip on the 15th, we thought we were safe,” Herriot told Energeticcity.ca. However, a few days before her trip, she received word that Air Canada might throw a wrench in her plans.

“By August 13th, Air Canada communications began warning of potential disruptions,” she said. “I spent hours on the phone, first with Air Canada and then with Aeroplan only to be told that if I wanted to cancel, I’d have to pay $150 per passenger.”

Because Herriot paid for the flights mostly with Aeroplan points, the cancellation fees were greater than the refund she’d receive. She said she was fine with losing her points, but only wanted to cancel her return flight – not the initial flight out to Vegas.

“The agent said my only choice was to wait and see if Air Canada cancelled the flight,” Herriot recounted. “Anticipating trouble, I reluctantly booked expensive return tickets with WestJet.”

The flight from Fort St. John to Vancouver on the 15th went smoothly; after all, the North Peace Regional Airport’s ‘Air Canada’ flights are all operated by Air Canada Express, which wasn’t affected by the strike.

However, after spending several hours in the airport lounge, excitedly anticipating their first time flying business-class, Herriot and her sister received bad news: their flight had been cancelled, 10 minutes before boarding.

“At the gate, agents simply told us we hadn’t been rebooked and to retrieve our bags and go upstairs to speak with another agent.”

In the immediate aftermath of the flight being cancelled, Herriot said the airport was “chaos.”

“Lines barely moved, passengers were left to fend for themselves and the so-called ‘self-serve’ kiosks were nothing more than links to the airport’s website,” she said.

Herriot and her sister scrambled with no help from Air Canada and the number of available flights to Vegas dwindling. 

They ultimately boarded a Greyhound bus bound for Seattle and bought expensive first-class tickets — the only kind available — for an early-morning Delta flight on August 16th. 

That bus ride ended up lasting an hour longer than intended due to heavy traffic, but they were able to get to their new flight on time. Herriot and her sister finally landed in Las Vegas shortly after noon on August 16th, exhausted.

“Far less time to enjoy the city,” she said, “but at least in time for the concert. The Backstreet Boys were incredible and made the stress feel worthwhile, at least for one night.”

Unfortunately, there was more stress to come as she attempted to return to Fort St. John via WestJet. The morning after the concert, on August 17th, Herriot said the airline delayed their flight from Las Vegas to Calgary by 30 minutes, leaving them with little time to reach their connecting flight back to the North Peace.

“Onboard, when we asked for help making our connection, the flight attendant told us bluntly to ‘run.’ Meanwhile, dozens of other passengers were also rerouted and stressed.”

Herriot and her sister rushed through customs as quickly as they could, rode the airport cart and arrived at their gate two minutes before closing only to be told their seats had already been given away.

“We watched another late passenger board instead,” Herriot recounted. “We were rebooked for Monday, August 18th, without accommodations because the delay was marked as ‘controlled.’”

Making matters worse, Herriot said they waited for hours at baggage claim only to be told their luggage couldn’t be returned. The next day, she used an AirTag — a small tracking device made by smartphone and computer manufacturer Apple — to track her bag to an early flight bound for Fort St. John, with no confirmation from WestJet.

“We ended up stranded in Calgary for an extra day, paying for hotels and food out of pocket,” Herriot said. “Even at the airport, we saw other families experiencing the same thing, passengers bumped off flights with little explanation or support.”

In the end, Herriot said she had to pay “more than double” what she had originally planned to spend on the trip, on top of enduring days of stress and fatigue.

“Both airlines failed us, and both showed terrible communication and customer service,” she said. “What should have been a short, fun getaway turned into a logistical nightmare.”

Herriot’s story isn’t unique: many people all over the country had to scramble to find alternative travel plans amid Air Canada’s strike. 

The strike began after disputes regarding wages and ‘ground pay’ for flight attendants, who previously weren’t paid for their work until their planes took off. 

The federal government intervened in the strike the morning of Saturday, August 16th, invoking Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to force Air Canada and the union into binding arbitration. The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered flight attendants to return to work on Sunday.

Union officials defied that order, leading the board to state on Monday, August 18th that the strike was unlawful even as the union said it would press ahead.

According to the Air Canada component of CUPE’s website, the strike ended earlier this week on Tuesday, August 19th, and a ratification vote is being held for the proposed new collective bargaining agreement.

Energeticcity.ca contacted both WestJet and Air Canada for comment on this story. Neither airline responded in time for publication.

***With files from the Canadian Press