TORONTO — Two of Canada’s airlines have set a timeline for their repatriation flights bringing travellers back home from Cuba.
WestJet Group tells Travelweek that its repatriation is expected to wrap up on or before Feb. 16.
In normal times WestJet has up to 15 flights per day departing Canada for Cuba during the winter schedule.
Air Canada has about 3,000 customers in Cuba, most on ACV packages. Normally Air Canada operates on average 16 weekly flights to four destinations in Cuba from Toronto and Montreal.
AIR TRANSAT UPDATE
Meanwhile Air Transat says it plans to repatriate 100% of its customers to their point of origin by Feb. 17.
Transat spokesperson Marie-Eve Vallières told Travelweek yesterday the company had a total of 6,563 passengers in Cuba (ABC & ITC).
In a post on its site at 6:30 p.m. last night (Feb. 10), Air Transat noted that return itinerary info will be communicated directly to customers and travel advisors within the next 24 hours.
“Some flights will operate as originally scheduled, while others may be adjusted in terms of timing or aircraft configuration. Additional flights have also been added,” says the airline.
Passengers are advised to monitor their email communications as well as the Air Transat mobile app for updates. Support is also available from Transat’s on‑site representative teams and through the destination assistance service.
In the event of a stay extension, customers travelling on a Transat package will be accommodated at their hotel at Transat’s expense. In the event of an early return, Transat package customers will receive a refund for unused hotel nights within 21 days following their return.
Transat has begun the cancellation and refund process for files with cancelled flights. The process is expected to take about 14 days, with files prioritized based on departure date. For refunds with files for shortened stays, files will be processed upon customers’ return. Processing time is estimated at about 21 days.
“A MAJOR FINANCIAL HIT FOR THE AIRLINES”
In an interview with CTV News Atlantic, aviation industry expert John Gradek noted Cuba’s importance for Canada’s carriers as a key winter sun destination. The season’s shutdown from Canada, coming on the heels of Cuba’s refuelling warning, “will be a major financial hit for the airlines,” said Gradek.
“What are you going to do with these airplanes now that you’re not flying to Cuba?” he asked. “There’s not a lot of high demand traffic routes that are underserved markets, that we can redeploy these aircraft. Airlines may be looking to park airplanes, park crews, flight attendants, pilots … that are not going to be flying for the next couple of months.”
On Feb. 9 Air Canada was the first Canadian carrier to announce it was pulling out of Cuba for the season. At that time Air Canada said it would look to redeploy the aircraft to other destinations.
Gradek added that “the biggest angst I have is for the Cubans. Some 750,000 Canadians go to Cuba every year, we’re the mainstay of the Cuban economy. Now that Canadians have left the island, there will be tens of thousands of Cubans out of work. I’m quite concerned about the state of the Cuban economy and the state of Cuba in general.”
