Manchester flight to Toronto delayed two days

Some airline passengers ‘disgusted beyond belief ’ after missing connections, plans

Passengers who spent a frustrating two days stranded in Manchester, England, finally arrived back in Toronto on Sunday afternoon.

Air Canada has said it will be in touch with the affected customers for a full refund.

The flight to Toronto was scheduled to leave Manchester on Friday, but the 197 passengers had to wait until Sunday before finally taking off.

“We apologize for the extended delay: this does not meet our own standards and we are sorry we’ve let our customers down,” spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said in an email to The Canadian Press.

Vikki Rudgalvis, a U.K. resident, was headed on what she thought would be a “holiday of a lifetime, driving down the Californian coast,” when she was stranded in a scene of distress and disarray as the hours piled on.

“The lack of information was shocking. Hour after hour we were kept in the dark,” she told the Star. “By the end of last night you had children and adults in tears as honeymoons and holidays were ruined, cruises missed and loved ones separated.”

After waiting more than 40 hours, Rudgalvis said she gave up on the flight and requested Air Canada to change her booking to a United Airlines flight. While Air Canada made the switch for her at no additional cost, she said she wants a refund for the stress and compensation for the bookings that were missed.

“We have missed our days in San Fran. Missed our Alcatraz booking and will get into our hotel to sleep before heading out on the road tomorrow,” she said.

“Money cannot replace the experi- ences we have missed out on.”

One person tweeted “horrendous experience. Stuck in Manchester for 2days and no one has been in contact to tell us what’s going on.”

Another tweet to Air Canada said: “A second night in Manchester . . . due to more flight delays. AirCanada this is not how to treat your passengers.”

Manchester residents Melanie Best and her husband had booked the flight with plans to attend a wedding celebration in Toronto.

In an email to The Canadian Press late Saturday night, a frustrated Best described their long and trying ordeal. She said they boarded the plane Friday after a two-hour delay, then sat on the tarmac for the next five hours while mechanics tried unsuccessfully to fix a hydraulic pump. After the flight was finally cancelled the passengers were put up in a hotel and instructed to return to the airport the following day.

However, after checking in again Saturday morning, Best said repeated delays kept her and the other passengers stuck in the airport lounge until the early evening.

“Come 6 p.m. passengers were getting really stressed and angry and all gathering by customer information demanding more information,” she said.

According to Best, the passengers were told the plane had finally been repaired and would be leaving at 8 p.m. local time. But after departure time came and went, the passengers were then informed the flight had once again — this time due to flight crew issues — been cancelled, and rescheduled for Sunday around noon.

“At this point people were crying and disgusted beyond belief,” she said.

“We thank our customers for their incredible patience,” Air Canada wrote on Sunday. “We are committed to doing better next time.”