Canada Investigates Sunwing Toronto Airport Complaints

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has launched an inquiry into delays, cancellations, tarmac delays and lost, delayed and damaged baggage affecting Sunwing flights at Toronto Pearson International Airport, following a slew of consumer complaints.

Sunwing passengers said they were held on planes during lengthy delays the weekend of April 14-15, with one flight to Cuba unable to depart for about six hours. Sunwing has credited part of the problem to severe winter weather and deicing operations, as well as airport staffing shortages that prevented the plane from returning to the terminal and disembarking passengers.

Other passengers were reporting not receiving their luggage 10 days after their return to Canada on a flight from the Dominican Republic that weekend.

“This inquiry’s focus will be on whether Sunwing treated its passengers in a manner consistent with its terms and conditions of carriage for international flights (tariff) and whether those terms and conditions are reasonable,” the CTA said, after receiving a “high volume of complaints” about flights April 14 -18, 2018.

An Inquiry Officer will be gathering and summarizing evidence from affected passengers, the airline, and any other relevant parties.

“Canada’s weather realities mean that air travel will sometimes be disrupted, but when that happens, passengers have rights,” said Scott Streiner, CTA chair and CEO. “This inquiry will determine, based on the evidence and the law, whether Sunwing respected its obligations towards passengers during the events in question, and if not, what corrective measures should be ordered.”