More than 100 Swoop Airlines passengers who were expecting to arrive in Hamilton’s John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport on Tuesday were “stranded in Mexico” after a cancelled flight.
Passengers say they had a hard time getting information from the airline, were offered “dingy” places to stay in unsafe areas of the city, not provided with transportation and in some cases told they’d need to wait days for a new flight home.
Amrit Jhooty, 26, from Brampton, Ont., tells CBC News she and other Canadians were set to board Flight WO651 from Cancún International Airport around 1:25 p.m.
Almost two hours later, staff at the airport told them the flight would be delayed.
“We kept asking someone at the front desk what was happening and they said it’ll only be a 5-10 minute delay,” she says.
“People were getting worried because we’re two hours in with no answers.”
Between 3 and 4 p.m., Jhooty says anxious passengers heard there was an accident on board caused the delay.
Helen Ball, 61, frrom Brampton, tells CBC News that about an hour later, airport staff revealed a flight attendant suffered a knee injury which required a trip to the hospital.
Swoop told CBC News in a statement “industry regulations stipulate that we cannot operate a flight without a full complement of flight attendants.”
They watched the stewardess roll through the airport with ice on her knee, but still, Jhooty and Ball expected to make it home.
“It’s ridiculous to think the plane may have had to fly back empty with just the crew,” Ball says. “What a waste.”
Jennifer Woo, 37, from Bowmanville, was also waiting with her two daughters and husband, Jesse.
When they heard about the longer delay, they approached the staff to get Jesse’s medication from his checked baggage.
“He needs medication every five hours or else he’s in pain,” Woo says.
“They told us they could and then they couldn’t and then another person told us they couldn’t do it … and we made them very well aware that he needed it.”
We had to show airport staff the flight was cancelled for them to believe us.– Jennifer Woo, passenger on Flight WO651
But at about 7:00 p.m., the mood in the airport worsened.
“Family members started messaging us saying that online our flight was cancelled,” Jhooty says.
Woo says she also got texts from family saying Hamilton listed the flight as cancelled.
Not long after, passengers say Swoop began sending emails to passengers officially cancelling the flight.
“I had a panic attack,” Jhooty says.
Jhooty and Woo say no one was able to get a hold of Swooop members, alleging that some staff hung up on them and did not respond via social media or email.
“When an incident occurs, call centre wait times do increase. We understand how frustrating it is when travel doesn’t go as planned and apologize for the inconvenience,” read a statement from Swoop Airlines.
They also say tensions within the airport began to flare with miscommunications from employees and few accommodations, though Swoop Airlines says it offered meal vouchers.
“We had to show airport staff the flight was cancelled for them to believe us,” Woo says.
But Swoop also offered alternative flights. Some were set to take off the next day or the day after.
Though, Jhooty would have to wait until Jan. 23 while Woo and Ball’s alternative flight was scheduled for Jan. 25.
“It was ridiculous,” Ball says.
Three to four more hours of waiting the hungry, fatigued and frustrated passengers began to collect their luggage at around 11 p.m.
Woo says her husband finally got a chance to take his medication.
“He was in pain today though … when we land and get back we’ll have to set up a doctor’s appointment to make sure everything is ok,” she says.
Swoop also provided passengers with a list of places to stay and Jhooty says the airline offered to pay for two nights. Passengers say one spot was a hostel while all three areas were in “unsafe” areas — and customers add the airline didn’t provide any means of transportation.
Ball’s daughter described the area where they stayed as what appeared to be “cartel territory.”
“It was a cockroach-infested, two-star, really dingy place,” Woo says. “It was a trip from hell.”
“The bed was on a piece of plywood … people in the hotel said ‘you really shouldn’t leave after dark because it’s a dangerous area,’ ” she says.
Jhooty opted for her own hotel instead.
Now, passengers are looking for compensation.
“I’ve spent $600 out of pocket, maybe more,” Ball says.
Ball, Woo and Jhooty are expecting to return to Canada on non-Swoop flights.
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
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