NewLeaf passengers risk being ‘stranded’
TORONTO• Canadians booking trips with NewLeaf Travel Co. Inc. should beware the “risk of being stranded,” a consumer group is warning.
NewLeaf recently scrapped plans to fly to Phoenix, Ariz., and Orlando, Fla., and has also cancelled or altered flights on several Canadian routes, affecting thousands of passengers.
The Consumers’ Association of Canada issued a travel alert on its website Monday warning NewLeaf customers of the possibility of “arbitrary cancellations and alterations to flight dates and times.”
“It is extremely important that prospective buyers of NewLeaf tickets have an alternative plan to reach their chosen destinations and return home on time,” the alert says. “Buyers of NewLeaf tickets should be asking themselves the question, ‘ Does the saving of buying cheap tickets warrant the risk of being stranded?’”
The company, which offers flights through B. C.-based Flair Airlines and styles itself as an ultra- lowcost travel option, stressed that it has offered all affected passengers full refunds.
“After just six months of operation, NewLeaf Travel Company along with Flair Airlines has successfully transported more than 150,000 passengers across the country ,” New Leaf spokeswoman Julie Rempel said in a statement.
“As a young company, we have provided a product to customers that has filled a niche in the marketplace; we are learning, but we are growing, and we are overwhelmed with the positive support of Canadians. It is unclear why an organization, who has never contacted NewLeaf to gain an understanding of the facts, would choose to try and damage our reputation.”
Even with full refunds, travellers could still be on the hook for pre- paid hotels and other costs, or forced to rebook on another airline at a much higher price, said Bruce Cran, president of the Consumers’ Association of Canada.
“There’s nothing wrong with cheap tickets, everyone loves a cheap ticket, but it’s not much use to you if you can’t fly on it when you want to fly,” Cran said Monday. “We’re warning people at the moment that they should at least be informed when they’re making their choices. Get the best deal you can get, but you also want to have some assurance that there’s not going to be any problems.”
Last week, NewLeaf announced it will drop flights to Kelowna, B.C ., and Moncton, N. B ., from its summer schedule, bringing its total number of destinations down to five from an original list of 12.
The company will offer more frequent flights to its remaining destinations — Abbotsford, B.C., Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hamilton and Halifax — and said it will add new routes to its network “in the coming weeks.”