Chaos after Lynx announces shutdown

WestJet says it’s ready to help stuck travellers

Passengers booked with Lynx Air were left scrambling to replace cancelled flights after the ultra-lowcost airline announced Thursday evening that it is ceasing operations after filing for creditor protection.

All flights scheduled Monday or later are cancelled, effective 12:01 a.m. MT. The Calgary-based company has advised passengers with existing bookings to contact their credit card company to secure refunds for pre-booked travel.

The airline said it was unable to overcome compounding financial pressures associated with inflation, fuel costs, exchange rates, cost of capital, regulatory costs and competition in the Canadian market.

“It is with a heavy heart we leave the skies,” Lynx said in a statement on its website. “We hope in our absence that our vision to inspire more Canadians to fly leaves its mark on our passengers.”

But some travellers said Friday morning that chaos had already begun three days before the airline is officially set to shut down.

Sal Saied was supposed to fly from Toronto to Los Angeles around 9:30 a.m. on Friday, but said she received an email from Lynx stating the trip would be delayed over an hour. She was at the gate about to board the plane at 10:45 when there was an announcement that the flight was cancelled altogether.

“We lined up to get ready to board, then they actually told us to step back down and about five minutes after they told us that our flight was cancelled,” she said. “They told us to essentially leave the airport.”

Saied, who found a replacement ticket at an “extremely high price,” described the situation as a “fiasco.” “It’s really frustrating,” she said. WestJet said it was ready to help mitigate some of the issues for travellers. The airline said it will offer discounted fares for stranded domestic travellers and capped fares for Canadian repatriation flights on non-stop WestJet routes previously served by Lynx.

All economy cabin fares that meet that criteria are eligible for a 25 per cent discount between Feb. 22 and Oct. 26, as long as the booking is made by next Thursday.

“We are communicating closely with government officials and supporting agencies that are also working to address the needs of those impacted,” WestJet said in a statement.

Beyond the immediate impact to be felt by travellers, the Air Line Pilots Association International said 160 pilots and flight crew will be affected.