‘I just want to get home’: Edmontonians stuck in Mexico despite flights resuming

The cartel situation in Puerto Vallarta has now eased, but Edmontonians who had travel delayed say they can't get answers from airlines.

While some have been able to get home from their vacations in Mexico gone awry due to cartel violence, others have not been so lucky.

Mandy Halabi was supposed to leave Puerto Vallarta on Monday on a WestJet flight. As of Wednesday afternoon, she hadn’t heard anything from the airline.

“I just want to get home,” Halabi told CTV News Edmonton. “But you cannot find a flight back to Edmonton at all. There’s nothing.”

Halabi said she checked other airlines but could only find another WestJet flight for March 1.

“I understand that they’re busy … but they have to also understand what it’s like for us,” she said, adding that she would be relieved to know if she was on a list or to receive some sort of communication from the airline.

Spruce Grove resident Meagan Dmytry had a flight booked for Saturday, the day before cartel violence erupted in Puerto Vallarta. The flight was delayed for hours before finally getting cancelled.

“We were supposed to have a flight out on Sunday, but then we woke up to the chaos,” said Dmytry.

Three days later, she still doesn’t know when she will be flying out.

She said the last she heard from WestJet was that she was on standby. She tried calling the airline, but once she got through, they didn’t have any answers.

“We’ve been told that the earliest they could probably get us out of here is between March 1 and March 3,” said Dmytry. “That’s beyond a week past our original departure date.

“It’s beyond stressful. Absolutely not fun anymore.”

Under Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations, large airlines like WestJet are required to refund the ticket or rebook passengers free of charge on the next available flight from their original airport within 48 hours after their original departure time.

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) said it is currently investigating the flight disruptions in Mexico.

“Airlines must try to minimize the impacts that they have on passengers and their travel,” said CTA in an emailed statement. “They must always ensure that passengers can complete their itinerary as soon as possible.”

Air Passenger Rights president Gábor Lukács said breaking regulations is a summary conviction offence, punishable by fine, but the CTA isn’t enforcing them.

“It’s a problem that WestJet is systematically, deliberately breaking the law, and so far, the government has been silent about it,” he said. The government has not taken steps to actually punish WestJet for systematically, deliberately violating passengers rights.”

WestJet said it has resumed operations to and from Puerto Vallarta and has added 12 additional flights as of Wednesday. More flights may be added depending on demand.

“Guests that booked with WestJet as an air-only traveller were advised on Monday evening via email to use our online Manage Trips tool and follow the step-by-step directions to view alternate flight options, request a refund or contact us via their preferred method,” said WestJet in an email.

The airline said it will review all expense submissions incurred as a result of the disruption. It also advises passengers to ensure they have provided the correct contact details as WestJet cannot get in touch with them otherwise.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti