Canadian North’s president and CEO, Michael Rodyniuk, said the airline is “pulling out all of the stops” to get passengers safely on their way this holiday weekend. (Photo supplied by Canadian North)
‘Every effort being made’ to get people home for holidays: Canadian North
Airline chartering planes to keep flights going as weather wreaks havoc across southern Canada
Canadian North is pulling out all the stops to get its passengers where they need to be this holiday season, says president and CEO Michael Rodyniuk.
“We are even chartering our competitors to get people to where they need to be,” he told Nunatsiaq News on Friday.
Speaking by phone from Calgary, Rodyniuk said the airline has reached out to other airlines like Air Inuit to fill in gaps where there have been flight capacity issues or delays as a result of poor weather conditions across the country.
Environment Canada has put most of southern Canada under weather warnings as Christmas approaches, including extreme cold and snowfall in the west, blizzards and winter storm warnings for Ontario and Quebec, and storm surges, high winds and rainfall in Atlantic provinces.
Canadian North had not cancelled any of its scheduled flights for Friday as of press time.
Meanwhile, airlines across Canada are posting numerous delays and cancellations due to the weather. Ottawa airport’s arrivals webpage, for example, is peppered with notices of late and cancelled flights.
Flight cancellations or delays that are the result of bad weather are not considered the responsibility of the airline, and passengers are not entitled to compensation under federal passenger rights regulations.
Rodyniuk said Canadian North uses its website, social media, email and call-backs to communicate with travellers who are affected by delays or cancellations.
Travellers should look at the website before heading to the airport to verify that flights are posted as expected and to ensure they are leaving on time, he said.
Teams in the operational control centre and on the ground are doing everything possible to have planes prepared, loaded and to get people moving safely, said Rodyniuk.
“We are keeping a sharp eye on this eastern storm blowing through, and we’re watching what is happening on the west coast,” he said.
“Today it seems like we’ve got a bit of a window, so we are putting everything we can in the air.”
Dear Canadian North, I’m about to venture forth and I hope you know how much you mean to me
See the southern airlines struggle, Cos the cold snow gives them trouble but you are Northern readily
I miss my Cambridge Bay, seems forever I’ve been away and Gord is needing some xtra Christmas cheer
I need the old jet to fly, so I don’t Christmas ugly cry and can enjoy the light of a my northern new year
So our North relies on you, and when others can’t make it through, you don’t desert your people down in Kug
You sent a new plane, while other airlines did disdain, and you remembered all your people as you should
A shout out to all your crews, your patient passengers, who all understand the need of some delays
I would rather sit and wait, then feel others airline fates, and will hold you close for all my Christmas Days
Merry Christmas and thank you to all our airline crews trying to move us north this crazy holiday season. Can we just all stay home next year!
Gone are the days when first air was awesome … then Canadian north merged with first air ….gone are the days without delays ….gone are the days that had hot meals in the airplane…..gone are the days you can have a glass wine and spirits …. gone are them days that people used to smoke in airplanes ….gone are those days that all airlines were people friendly….these are the dog days of winter now. Merry Christmas northerners.
No Christmas for us this year.
Our plane, like most things in Nunavut, was broken so we missed our chance to beat the weather.
Monopolies should be illegal.