After thousands of passengers were stranded at tourist destinations and repeated scenes of piled-up baggage at Toronto Pearson Airport during the holiday season, Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra has come out to explain the combination of events that led to the chaos.
Obviously the two extreme weather events that occurred with both British Columbia and Ontario and Quebec, coupled with the peak holiday season travelers caused disruptions. Certainly Sunwing also had its own problems, I met with the CEO of Sunwing Airlines today and they expressed their apologies for what happened, I think there were some problems that could have been better handled and I know Sunwing is working on that. But I want to point out that, yes there was a lot of preparation work, a lot of the problems that we faced in the summer with CATSA, Air Canada and the airports did not happen this time because there was preparation, but unfortunately the extreme weather and Sunwing's operational problems caused this frustrating situation for many passengers.
Alghabra's statements come after both the NDP and the Conservatives called for his appearance before the congressional transportation committee to demand explanations and accountability for what thousands of passengers experienced.
Alghabra assured that he has no objection to appear before the Committee and answer the questions of the parliamentarians and informed that in his conversation with the CEO of Sunwing he assured him that the passengers will be compensated for what happened during the vacations.