‘We need to get home’: Calgary WestJet passengers stranded in Cancun

It’s been an extended enactment successful Mexico for hundreds of WestJet passengers — but not 1 they planned for.

“Over the past 2 days, [we] person spent astir 16 hours astatine the airdrome and being shuttled around,” explained Alim Kara, who had been connected abrogation with his woman and 2 sons — ages of 6 years, and 18 months.

“We person 2 precise bushed unwell kids owed to 2 days of being stuck successful the airdrome with nary answers astir what is happening.”

Kara, his household and dozens of different passengers arrived astatine Cancun International Airport Thursday afternoon, acceptable for WestJet formation WS2249 to instrumentality them home.

After 2 small, hour-long delays, passengers learned their formation was cancelled – and headed backmost to their edifice astir 6 hours aft archetypal leaving.

Passenger James Faulkner says everyone went to slumber without knowing erstwhile their formation the adjacent time would be.

“It wasn’t precisely a relaxing night. [Some people] would accidental it’s great, different nighttime successful this bully edifice — but you don’t get to bask it.”

By 7:30 Friday morning, Faulkner says hundreds of passengers were gathered successful the lobby — learning they would committee a autobus backmost to the airdrome astatine 9 a.m..

“The connection would beryllium the 1 happening I deliberation WestJet could improve,” helium told Global News from his edifice connected Friday night.

Once they were backmost astatine the airport, Faulkner and the remainder of the would-be passengers faced respective abbreviated delays with nary explanation.

By 2 p.m., helium says unit connected the level joined the stranded passengers successful the gross country – telling them astir an contented with the plane’s clime power system.

Trending Now

A fistful of passengers were capable to committee different WestJet formation backmost to Calgary that day – but Faulkner, Kara and the bulk of the others were stuck waiting and wondering.

“All [WestJet] had to bash for the remainder of america was accidental ‘you cognize what, the game’s over. We’re going to nonstop you backmost to the edifice early, and you tin beryllium successful a lounge seat for a mates hours and get immoderate of that abrogation vibe back,'” Faulkner said.

But for Kara – who had to marque caller arrangements for work, said helium was acceptable for this abrogation to yet travel to an end.

“We request to get home,” helium said, explaining that his kids are struggling with the delays.

“Honestly, 1 of the toughest experiences we person been through.”

In a connection to Global News Friday night, WestJet said some parts and attraction unit were connected the mode to Cancun to implicit the indispensable repairs connected the affected aircraft.

“We are sincerely atrocious for the inconvenience WestJet guests are experiencing successful Cancun. We tin corroborate that determination person been aggregate cancellations owed to unscheduled maintenance,” a WestJet spokesperson said.

The hose confirmed the impacted passengers would beryllium connected a formation location connected Saturday.