TORONTO — The travel industry can’t catch a break this winter.
The latest disruption – the outbreak of violence in Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and beyond – has travel advisors in high gear once again, assisting clients in destination and here at home, as airlines temporarily suspend operations into PVR.
The upset comes just two weeks after Cuba was sidelined, taking a major player out of high travel season and sending vacation prices soaring.
The situation in Mexico, largely playing out in the state of Jalisco (still under a code red today), has also led to violence in other Mexican states including Michoacán, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí, according to the CBC. Global Affairs Canada has updated its travel advisory for Mexico.
So far Quintana Roo and the Yucatan Peninsula have not been impacted, however travel advisors tell Travelweek that some clients are now questioning their trips to Cancun – despite the fact that Cancun is more than 2,000 km away from Puerto Vallarta.
CANCUN CANCELLATIONS
“It’s a struggle. We are still handling Cuba clients and now this,” Mike Snider, President of Kitchener, ON’s Northstar Travel, told Travelweek.
“We have clients at destination and many clients heading to PVR and we are in constant contact with them,” he added. “We also had clients decide due to the news to cancel their Cancun vacation on their own without speaking with an agent of Northstar.”
Snider said he’s advising his team to stay on top of the advisories “and ensure we are there for our clients.”
Trevello travel advisor Angela Landry, based in Nova Scotia, tells Travelweek she heard from a client who has friends not only in destination, but at PVR airport yesterday: “The airport was under attack and these people were hiding in a WestJet office somewhere in the terminal. The WestJet flight enroute from Montreal returned back to Montreal.”
TurnKey Travel’s Jennifer McPherson said that while she doesn’t have any clients directly impacted, many of her TravelOnly colleagues in western Canada spent the last 24 hours dealing with flight cancellations and upset clients.
She said she also fielded some emails from her clients currently in or about to leave for Cancun area. “It is so unfortunate when these issues, especially with graphic photos and videos, hit the media and social media, as most viewers only hear ‘Mexico’. They do not realize that Puerto Vallarta is about the same distance from Cancun as Toronto is from Calgary!”
McPherson added: “People start to get nervous and react emotionally. My colleague had a client asking if she should cancel her trip to PVR … and it is not until January 2027. These (constant) geopolitical or weather-related travel issues are always a reminder of the value of working with a trusted travel advisor who can give you the facts and help navigate next steps, ultimately giving you that invaluable peace of mind.”
UPDATE FROM THE AIRLINES
As reported yesterday, airlines including Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat, Porter and Flair have temporarily cancelled flights.
Air Canada has triggered its flexible rebooking policy for Puerto Vallarta as well as Guadalajara for Feb. 23, Feb. 24 and Feb. 25. More details can be found here.
Air Canada posted last night: “Air Canada flights to and from PVR will be cancelled tomorrow. We are monitoring the situation and are working to bring our customers back as soon as it is safe to do so.”
WestJet has activated its rebooking policy for a long list of Mexico destinations, including Cancun and Cozumel, for Feb. 23, Feb. 24 and Feb. 25. More WestJet details can be found here.
Last night WestJet posted its list of cancelled flights to and from PVR for today, Feb. 23. This encompasses 20 additional cancellations including …
WS2250 YYC-PVR
WS2251 PVR-YYC
WS2770 YYZ-PVR
WS2771 PVR-YYZ
WS2214 YLW-PVR
WS2150 PVR-YLW
WS2150 YVR-PVR
WS2151 PVR-YVR
WS2152 YVR-PVR
WS2153 PVR-YVR
WS2450 YWG-PVR
WS2451 PVR-YWG
WS2380 YQR-PVR
WS2381 PVR-YQR
WS2400 YXE-PVR
WS2401 PVR-YXE
WS2112 YEG-PVR
WS2113 PVR-YEG
WS2114 YEG-PVR
WS2115 PVR-YEG
Transat has also cancelled flights and says passengers who were originally scheduled to travel today, Feb. 23, have been contacted by email and informed of the options available to them. “The safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority. We are closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with local authorities,” said Transat.
Transat also listed the following update for upcoming flights (click here for details) …
- Passengers travelling to Puerto Vallarta on Feb. 24 or 25 may change their reservation without penalty or cancel their trip and receive a travel credit valid for 12 months from the original return date.
- For departures as of Feb. 26: Standard terms and conditions apply.
- For flights elsewhere in Mexico: Operations are proceeding as scheduled
Sunwing Vacations’ update includes the cancellation of WestJet’s flights yesterday and today and the tour op says it is coordinating extended stay arrangements as needed until flights become available. For complete details, click here.
Porter Airlines’ rebooking policy for Puerto Vallarta covers Feb. 22, Feb. 23, Feb. 24 and Feb. 25; click here.
Flair Airlines notified passengers that its flights in and out of PVR and GDL are cancelled today, Feb. 23. “We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available,” said the airline. Flair’s alert page is here.
Cruise lines sailing Mexican Riviera itineraries are re-routing itineraries; more details can be found here.
