2 planes, 3 hotels: Kuujjuaq man raises concerns over Air Inuit’s handling of new route
Alec Clunas says airline’s response isn’t good enough; spokesperson says company ‘dedicated’ to meeting expectations
Air Inuit took over Canadian North’s Kuujjuaq-Montreal route Aug. 6, approximately two months sooner than originally planned. (Photo courtesy of CNW Group/Air Inuit)
Alec Clunas arrived at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport at 8 a.m. on Aug. 10 to check in for his 10 a.m. flight home to Kuujjuaq.
After a delay that lasted seven hours, Clunas and his partner finally boarded the plane — then minutes later, were removed.
“The agent started calling names, and our names were one of the ones that were called. We were told we’re being bumped off the flight because we were one of the last ones to check in,” Clunas said in an interview.
“But there were 30 to 40 people behind us. A lot of those people stayed on the flight.”
Clunas and his partner did make it back to Kuujjuaq, but not until the next day.
Air Inuit took over the Montreal-Kuujjuaq route from Canadian North on Aug. 6, two months sooner than originally planned. The route transfer was part of a deal, announced in February, for Makivvik Corp. and Inuvialuit Regional Corp. to sell Bradley Air Services, which owns Canadian North, to Exchange Income Corp. for approximately $205 million.
The sale involved all routes except the one between Montreal and Kuujjuaq, which was retained by Makivvik Corp.
Clunas made a series of live posts on Facebook earlier this month as the situation dragged on, raising concerns that Air Inuit wasn’t properly prepared to take over the route.
In an email Clunas shared with Nunatsiaq News, Air Inuit blamed both a mechanical issue and staff issue for the delay.
“While the plane swapped to a different aircraft (same seating map), a crew member became unfit to fly due to illness, which left us with only two available flight attendants,” the email said.
Transport Canada’s safety regulations require one flight attendant for every 50 passenger seats or one for every 40 passengers.
Air Inuit said in the email that to comply, it was “forced to reduce the number of passengers on board, and this was done according to a pre-established priority list.”
Clunas says the airline could have handled the situation better.
“They should have went with the last ones that booked their flights, the last ones to get confirmation. We were confirmed for over a month,” he said.
Clunas, who works with the Kativik Regional Government, said the flight change forced him to miss one day of work and to use an extra vacation day.
He said the airline offered accommodation but the hotel they were sent to had no rooms available. He was then sent to a second hotel, which also had no rooms.
“They sent us to a third hotel, which finally did have room for us and we finally settled around 9 p.m.,” Clunas said.
Clunas and his partner departed Montreal the next day, on Aug. 11, at 11:29 a.m.
Air Inuit offered $500 compensation to all passengers who were removed from the flight, “in accordance with Air Passenger Protection Regulations and due to a delay exceeding nine hours.”
He says he feels he’s entitled to more.
“Our flight wasn’t delayed nine hours or more,” Clunas said.
“We were literally bumped off our confirmed seats.”
Under Canada’s Air Passenger Rights Regulations, if a passenger is removed from a flight and it was the airline’s fault and not a safety issue, the passenger is entitled to $1,000 for delays of nine hours or more.
Air Inuit called the situation a “safety issue” in its email to Clunas but said it’s reviewing each case.
Nunatsiaq News reached out to Air Inuit for comment.
While the airline adjusts to providing the Montreal-Kuujjuaq route, “our team is dedicated to delivering service that measures up to expectations as we tackle operational challenges whenever they may arise,” said Tim Duboyce, a representative for the airline.
I have been reading Northern news recently, especially since the three police shootings in Nunavik, that originally shook me, until I learned much more about the region..
I have always noticed things like this, random Government Officials, spewing personal opinions, about topics they have zero knowledge in etc… But wow. As of late the ‘KRG’ in Nunavik is off its rocker. I am not at all defending Air Inuit, I also believe they are ill equipped in comparison to the capacity of Canadian North. However.. from..
– Judging police shootings, before any oversite has been completed, tarnishing the names of Officers / the organization, when its possible in three separate events they are justified (I sense a lawsuit that will squeeze the KRG and Makkivik one day if that does end up being the case… defamation & libel, some of this is still on KRG executives personal pages!!!!)
– Now this? This KRG employee, was actually provided his own news platform to talk about how he was bumped from a fight, and he felt entitled to sit on it? For real? Do people not realize how disgusting this looks in places with normal government that aren’t corrupt? Does he not see this looks like him asking for special treatment? First come first serve doesn’t work, when a plane transports food, supplies, nurses, teachers, paramedics, local elders etc. My god.. according to public records, he works in ACCOUNTS PAYABLE. He is the least essential human being ever that needs to be flown, ANYWHERE. Just the idea, that this appears ‘normal’ within KRG, indicates to me there is some serious issues within the KRG
The KRG itself, needs some serious oversight, maybe a temporary control by the Quebec or Canadian Government could correct course. It is clear that the KRG is incapable of managing Nunavik lets alone its employees. Let’s be clear; it is not at all normal, for a KRG official (or any government official, at any level) to use any news source, anywhere, to talk about personal opinions on how they should have been provided preferential treatment over others. It’s INSANE. In my part of the world we would call this being ‘tone deaf’
@ Posted by Something’s rotting in the state of den… Nunavik on Aug 19, 2025
” Does he not see this looks like him asking for special treatment? First come first serve doesn’t work, when a plane transports food, supplies, nurses, teachers, paramedics, local elders etc.”
Here I fixed it so we all REALLY take note of YOUR opinion:
Does he not see this looks like him asking for equal treatment of the average white Nunavik traveler”.
Nowhere in the article is he Flexing, he should be treated “better” for working at KRG, but rather he simply pointed out he has a job and the incompetence of the AIL transition in Kuujjuaq Mtl flights cost him a days pay as well as additional expenses incurred.
Only a privileged white worker in Nunavik, would have such a lopsided outlook.
People complaining that this should be Air Qallunat are funny. Air Inuit lives by all the overpriced cargo and tickets it sells to people flying to do the jobs people can’t or won’t do so it can then turn around to sell 75% off tickets to Inuit. And sprinkle money to the biggest mouths too. If those people weren’t there, there would be about 3 flights a week to Kuujjuaq.
Welcome to air inuit. Here hudson people are been trying to go home for over a week or so.
There will be glitches in the system at the outset of changining over, if and when big money and companies are involved. The system will improve overtime.
Now the people will know what its like to be a part of the 99%. Nunavik has been bringing the same issues forward for YEARS and now that one Kuujj-waker experiences it for the first time, it becomes news. Welcome to reality of the unprivileged. Imagine, this has been going one for years with elders who have no pocket $, no 2nd language skills and not even a phone.
Rich people eh! Jutsatuarijurijuiiaasiit!
at least he voiced for you and other Nunavimmiut****
You can’t be forced to vacate an airplane seat unless there’s a real safety issue. Sit there until they show you in writing the authority to do that and demand, politely, to get that from the pilot or from management. And get satisfaction. In any case a thousand bucks is insulting.
Air Inuit followed their boarding priority list which is what they are required to do.
Persons with disabilities, unaccompanied children. Medical patients, seniors, etc. will all go ahead of this person.
The Transport Canada regulation is also valid and refers to the number of flight attendants required in case of emergency evacuation. Air Inuit had this covered until one became sick. You can delay the flight if you can get a standby FA out right away, but it may bust your duty day if it takes too long.
The unexpected happens. No fault to Air Inuit but agree that denied boarding is probably $1k.
Without competition, Air Inuit is now able to do what it wants (which it has been doing on the Hudson Coast since the beginning)
I anticipate further declines in the service quality that Kuujjuaq customers have been getting from Canadian North. This will undoubtedly from time to time affect travelers who rely on air travel for essential services or business. – not too mention essential cargo
Does anyone know the proper channel to follow in order to lodge a complaint against Air Inuit?
You can submit a complaint form on the Air Passenger Protection website at https://rppa-appr.ca/eng