Ottawa airport cutting ties with Flair and Sunwing ground crews
The Ottawa airport is terminating its agreement with a company that handles the ground crews for Sunwing and Flair airlines after what it calls a “degradation of service levels.”
The Ottawa International Airport Authority said in a statement Wednesday it has "observed a degradation of service levels associated with ground-handling activities for Sunwing and Flair airlines" in recent weeks.
Both airlines contract Menzies, a third-party ground handling firm, for aircraft marshalling and baggage handling, the statement said.
"Following written warnings to Menzies, the issues reached untenable levels in the past week, leading the OIAA to provide Menzies with a 30-day notice of termination of its operating license at the airport,"
The notice was issued on Monday, the airport authority said.
"The service levels passengers from both airlines have had to endure do not meet the customer experience threshold the OIAA is committed to facilitate."
A spokesperson for Flair Airlines said the decision won't impact its operations.
"The termination action was taken by Ottawa International Airport. This will have no impact on Flair's operations," the spokesperson said. "We work closely in cooperation with our airport partners and will continue to provide low-fare flying from Ottawa.
"Ottawa International Airport will contract a new baggage handling/ground crew."
In a statement, Sunwing said it has made plans to mitigate the impact of the decision on their customers.
"In light of Ottawa International Airport’s notice of termination to Menzies, a third-party ground handling service at the airport, Sunwing Airlines has established contingency plans to maintain normal operations and mitigate the impact to our customers, including having members of our Airport Services Management team on site working with various stakeholders at the airport," they said. "We will continue to work with Ottawa International Airport to ensure our customers’ expectations are being met."
Menzies is a global logistics company that operates in more than 250 locations across 58 countries. CTV News has reached out to Menzies for comment.
Major issues for travellers
The news comes after a number of Sunwing and Flair passengers were delayed several hours at the Ottawa airport Tuesday due to a baggage issue.
Passengers travelling with Flair Airlines to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Were supposed to leave just after 4 p.m. Tuesday, but the plane took off five hours late.
Passengers said they weren't given many details about the delay, other than that it was caused by a baggage issue.
"I'm here with my wife and my father-in-law, who's 87 years old," traveller Bob Gagnon said from the airport. "They tell you to come several hours early, right? So we did that. We've been here for a long time."
Flair Airlines said in an email that the delay was due to airport equipment and the problem was not within the airline's control, adding passengers may be eligible for compensation.
Passengers travelling with other airlines also reported baggage delays Tuesday night.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.