'We failed to deliver': Sunwing grilled over Christmas holiday travel disruptions

Sunwing Airlines says they have received about 7,000 complaints relating to travel disruptions from customers during a chaotic holiday travel period. 

Sunwing President Len Corrado testified in front on a House of Commons committee Thursday about what went wrong and why the airline left many passengers stranded with very little answers over the Christmas period. 

“We failed to deliver to the level that we had expected, and that Canadians had expected from us over this holiday season," Corrado said. 

Ottawa resident Guy Pelletier was supposed to fly to Cuba with Sunwing on Dec. 25. He says his flight got delayed to Boxing Day, but when he arrived at the airport, he received an email saying the entire trip had been cancelled.

“We got in the car and we got to the airport, and there was no staff,” he says.

Pelletier says it was an airport staff member who told his family the flight was cancelled.

"Only then did we get email saying your whole trip has been cancelled outright," Pelletier said. 

Pelletier says he received a full refund, but will not fly with Sunwing ever again.

"The communication was lacking. They weren’t transparent at all about what was happening, they led us to believe there was a flight for us… and that wasn’t the case."   

Corrado told the committee that Sunwing cancelled 67 flights during the holiday period. He apologized to customers but said many other factors were out of the airline's control.

He blamed a de-icing fluid shortage at Vancouver Airport as well as a baggage belt malfunction at Toronto's Pearson International Airport for contributing to the travel woes. 

Corrado also says Sunwing applied for an additional 60 pilots under a government program to help during the busy period, but their application wasn’t successful. 

Sunwing appeared before the committee with executives from WestJet and Air Canada, who also experienced delays and shortfalls during the holiday rush.

WestJet president of external affairs Andrew Gibbons says airlines are not always to blame.

"The government must address the most glaring gap in consumer protection in Canada today. And this is the fact that your delay or cancellation can be caused by many groups, yet only airlines have regulations governing our activities," Gibbons said.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra faced many questions about why he took so long to meet face-to-face with airline executives. He says he was being "briefed" constantly. He says the government will strengthen air passenger regulations in the coming months. 

"Passengers are told too often that they are not entitled to compensation when they really are," Alghabra said. "This situation has generated an avalanche of complaints to the transportation agency since last summer." 

The House of Commons transport committee will probe into the travel problems experienced over the holidays, when travellers by air and train faced cancellations and delays.