YVR passengers struggle as winter weather hits Vancouver

After hours of being stuck in the airport with nowhere else to go, some passengers say they’re unsure when they’ll be getting on their planes.

This comes as the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) continues to experience massive delays, with many of Tuesday’s flights halted.

One passenger says the first leg of her trip took an added six hours — but not in the air.

“I was on Flair [Air] flying from Montreal, so it was a six hour plane ride…When they got here, the plane couldn’t get up to the gate becuase a lack of de-icing or something…so we sat on the tarmac for another six hours,” Jane told CityNews.

Eventually, she says the plane was able to get to the terminal, but she says her bags are still on the plane.

“You’re so tired after being on a plane, a small, crowded plane…I was just tired, you know, you want to get home.”

 

 

Some travelers say they are surprised that the snow caused such big delays, with some saying they are confused the snow gave flights so much trouble.

“Surely they could have equipment that works…and de-icing and stuff like that. I think it’s a federal responsibility. They can do it in my backyard [Montreal], I just came from there, they had a huge snowstorm, nothing stops,” Jane said.

Another flier echoed the same sentiment.

“I’m from Montreal, so it’s a little funny, because it’s like…the rest of Canada is flying. It’s just a bit of snow,” passenger Justina said.

“I think it’s time that Vancouver realizes that it snows here too, and from what I’ve heard, it’s a lot of the city’s fault,” she added.

She also claims there hasn’t been any communication about what’s happening with their flights, leaving stranded passengers in the dark for now.

“None, there’s nothing. There’s nobody to talk to, no one to call. We’re just trying to figure it out,” Justina said.

For one senior couple, the pair says they became “homeless,” because of a lack of accommodations.

After flying in from Hawaii, Chris and Marilyn say their flight to Toronto was delayed four to five times, and then eventually canceled.

“A lot of information was given to us by WestJet, and to be honest with you, a lot of it I don’t know if it was always based on fact and truth,” Chris said.

“In the end, we were unable to secure a hotel room last night. My wife and I became homeless really to be honest with you, and we had to stay here overnight in the airport and sleep on the floor,” he added.

Chris says they were worried about their safety while trying to get some sleep in the airport.

“We just had to keep awake…I don’t know Vancouver very well, and I don’t know the airport very well,” he said.

The senior says he is also legally blind, and his vision challenges caused additional stress.

“This has been been very scary for me because I can’t navigate without assistance from my wife through this airport, and you’ve seen it, you’ve seen the crowds and you can imagine someone who has about 3 per cent vision trying to navigate these crowds,” he explained.

Further weather-related delays are possible at YVR throughout the week, as freezing rain and continually dropping temperatures come into play.

YVR passengers aren’t alone though, passengers at Toronto Pearson International Airport are facing weather-related complications as well.