Flair Airlines Strands Travellers in Dominican Republic: Passengers Claim Poor Customer Service

A group of travellers, including a former Flair Airlines employee, were left stranded in the Dominican Republic after their flight back to Toronto was cancelled due to severe weather. The passengers claim they received inadequate support from the low-cost carrier and incurred significant additional expenses.

Deanne Trinka and her husband, Jason Butler, from Burlington, Ontario, accompanied their daughter and a group of her fellow graduates on a seven-day trip to Punta Cana in August. While the initial trip went smoothly, their return flight with Flair Airlines was cancelled on August 17 due to a major storm in Toronto.

Initially, the 123 passengers on the cancelled flight were informed that the next available Flair flight wouldn't be until August 31. Trinka, who previously worked as a flight attendant for Flair, pointed out that multiple flights to Toronto with other airlines were available throughout the weekend. However, Flair only rebooked her group on flights departing on Tuesday. Butler and one other member of the group were rebooked on an Air Canada flight, while Trinka, her daughter, and two other members travelled on a WestJet flight later that evening.

While Flair covered the cost of these alternative return flights, Trinka's group incurred substantial additional costs for food and accommodation during their unplanned three-day stay in the Dominican Republic, amounting to between £960 and £1,200. Trinka highlighted that Flair did not offer any food vouchers and Butler was required to pay for luggage check-in on his Air Canada flight.

"When I worked for them, I was very proud. I always vouched for them," Trinka said. "But after seeing the way that they treated people, as a customer, it just changed my whole view of that airline."

Butler echoed these sentiments, stating that while weather conditions are beyond the airline's control, customer service could have been significantly improved.

"It would have been much better customer service to us as passengers to be compensated and made to feel safe and taken care of, which we were not."

In response, Flair Airlines acknowledged the impact of the storm on their network and confirmed that the flight cancellation was a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers and crew. They also stated that all 123 passengers were contacted about the cancellation and informed of their options to rebook flights with Flair or another carrier at the airline's expense.

Flair's director of communications, Kim Bowie, admitted that the airline could be more proactive in communicating alternative options to passengers. She recognised that the process of returning passengers home after a cancellation is "not a seamless process."

Gabor Lukacs, president of the advocacy group Air Passenger Rights, believes that the passengers may be entitled to compensation beyond reimbursement for their return flights, despite the cancellation being caused by severe weather. He explained that as a "large" carrier under the UK's Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), Flair is required to offer passengers alternative transportation on its own or partner flights within 48 hours of their original departure time.

Lukacs stated that if Flair was unable to provide this, they were obligated to rebook passengers on the "next available" flight of any carrier, including competitors.

According to Trinka, Flair did not fulfil its rebooking obligations. Lukacs argued that Flair should not only cover the cost of the alternate transportation purchased but also any additional expenses incurred by passengers during the delay. He recommends that passengers pursue compensation through small claims court if Flair refuses to comply.