Air-carrier problems strand frequent flyers

Julie and Brad Andrews flew to Montego Bay, Jamaica, to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. Their friends Colleen and Kevin Beirness were going with them.

They arrived one day later than planned because their aircraft had mechanical problems near Miami and returned to Toronto. They lost a day of vacation and had to spend a night at Pearson Airport.

Sunwing Airlines provided a $350 refund to each passenger because of the delay. But the two couples are asking for more compensation.

They say the low-cost carrier didn’t give enough information when the plane descended from about 36,000 feet to about 13,000 feet, leading them to experience more fear than necessary.

“I prayed the whole time,” says Julie Andrews, who’s an avid scuba diver and frequent flyer.

“Honestly, I thought we were crashing. Why weren’t they telling us anything?”

Brad Andrews is always nervous, no matter how often he flies, but the Aug. 8 flight was the scariest one ever.

“I came to the conclusion that I was not making it home and I was never seeing my kids again,” he says.

The initial flight left Toronto one hour later than scheduled on Aug. 8. Sunwing said it had to fix a mechanical problem,

After taking off, the plane spent two hours in the air before descending quickly and turning back to Toronto.

“Passengers were freaking out and throwing up because of the change in altitude. There was not much explanation, other than that there were issues with cabin air pressure,” Kevin Beirness says.

When they landed at Pearson, they were at a remote part of the airport, not at a gate. They had to be bussed back to the terminal.

The flight would leave again at 1:30 a.m., they were told. They received $25 each in dinner vouchers.

At 10:45 p.m., they were told the flight would leave at 6:30 a.m. They had to go and collect their luggage and golf bags at the other end of the airport.

All hotels in the area were booked, so they were offered taxi vouchers to and from home. But since the couples lived in Oshawa and Bowmanville — an hour’s drive away — they had to find a place to sleep in the departure area.

They finally arrived at their Jamaican resort at noon, and found the rooms weren’t ready. The guests stranded by the delayed flight had been put up in the hotel for the night.

“Essentially, they used the room I paid for,” says Brad Andrews. “We had to wait another four hours for the rooms to be ready.

“Our entire vacation felt rushed as we tried to squeeze in all the activities we planned into two fewer days. Saturday and Sunday were not relaxing at all. We were so exhausted from being up so many hours, we did nothing but sleep.”

Janine Chapman, vice-president of marketing for the Sunwing Travel Group, sent me a statement about the flight.

She said the flight crew saw a possible problem with the aircraft pressure and descended to a safe altitude, according to standard operating procedures. At no time did the altitude go outside of normal limits.

“The cause of the problem was later determined to be a defective duct assembly related to the aircraft air conditioning system,” she wrote. “The aircraft returned to Toronto, as this was the best option to ensure a quick turnaround of maintenance or substitution of aircraft if necessary.

“Our flight crew kept customers informed through on board announcements. Our cabin safety manager went row by row speaking to customers and assuring them of their safety. Cold towels were distributed for their comfort, due to the lack of air conditioning. Meal and drink service was also completed.

“Sunwing is very apologetic for the inconvenience and (we) hope that our customers were able to enjoy a fantastic holiday in Jamaica.”

Gabor Lukacs, an advocate for Canadian airline passengers, spoke to Brad Andrews after I forwarded his complaint.

Lukacs said Andrews broke down in tears while talking about the flight.

“The passengers were refunded the airfare part of their tickets. That’s a good start,” Lukacs said. “But people in Brad’s position may have significant future medical bills. They may need treatment and counselling to be comfortable flying again.”

Communication is crucial when serious problems develop on a flight, he pointed out. Customers who cannot get prompt answers to their questions are more likely to panic. They can develop post-traumatic stress disorder.

Brad Andrews felt the flight crew waited too long to tell them why the plane descended quickly and turned around. That is why he and his friends went to the media.

“I went to my family doctor today and she wants me to see a psychologist to ease my nerves,” he said on Aug. 20.

“I’ve had four nightmares since the ordeal. Just hope I can get over it and be comfortable flying again without the help of sedatives.”