Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

We are going for a reccy trip to Nova Scotia from 20th September to 11th October this year (vacation and also interviews!! :) ). We have booked with Canadian Affair from Manchester. We hadn't heard anything from them (they say you get the travel documents 4-6 weeks before flight) so my wife gave them a ring today to confirm. They have said that they are stopping flights between Manchester and Nova Scotia from October 4th as they are concerned about snow... :confused: apparently they were grounded last Ocober for 2 days due to bad weather and that's why they are finishing earlier this year! We have noticed in their new brochure that they are not flying at all from Manchester to Halifax next year.

They have offered us a return flight on the 4th, or they can give us an internal flight to Toronto (anytime) and fly back to Manchester on the 9th or 13th. Of course coming back early means we have a shorter holiday and we have paid for a motorhome; we wouldn't get the difference back now. Coming back on the later date means we need to stay in a hotel for two nights. They have said they will not pay for the hotel. I am going to give them a ring tomorrow (as I've got a louder voice than my wife!) and really complain, I am going to threaten them with a formal complaint to ABTA and also the Chartered Association of Arbitrators if we don't get reasonable compensation (hotel plus transport to/from airport, we will pay for food etc and I possibly need to take 2 days unpaid leave from work as all my holiday time has been used up). I think they have not been doing too well on this route and just want to end it early to save money. They are not cancelling flights from Toronto because of the threat of snow...

Just thought I would mention this in case anyone else was thinking about flying or have already booked with Canadian Affair during October or next year. Anyone else managed to get compensation out of them...?

It's a pity as we want to move to NS but it will make it more difficult for friends/relatives to visit and vice-versa.

James

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

Thanks for the info. I am going to call them tomorrow as the return portion of my flight is for the 25th of October (Halifax to Manchester) Do you know if that flight is cancelled?

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

I had flights cancelled about 16 days before the flight by CA. I tried the i' gonna sue you. I even got advice from a solicitor. I didnt have a leg to stand on. They offered a full re fund or alternate flights. The alternates were 4 days later and via Vancouver, I had interviewes booked! Had to go with delta in the end! Id give up with them just vote with your feet!

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

I would imagine your flight is cancelled as well as we were told that all flights from Halifax stop on 4th October. Good luck with your phone call.

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

We had flights booked with Canadian affair this August, we were supposed to be flying back from Edmonton around the 21st of August but they cancelled it, they told us we could fly a week earlier (and cut our holiday short NO!) or a week later (er, no I'd used all my annual leave) or fly home from Calgary. In the end that is what we did.

We'd hired a car but were able to arrange a one way drop off. I had to cancel our accomodation in Edmonton though and this was all about a week before we left, so it was stressful. I guess that's the trouble with charter flights, if the plane's not full they cancel.

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

I've just rang up Canadian Affair and they have said that the cancellation is due to met office data in Canada predicting bad weather mid October. They were aware of this a week ago. They have also had bad weather last few years. I fail to see how they can accurately predict the weather in 6 weeks - and why we can still fly out of halifax and back from Toronto in practically the same airspace to the UK - why haven't they cancelled flights from Toronto?? Apparently it's not because of lack of passengers, the aircraft is practically full they have said.

I don't quite see the logic of their decision. If they were concerned about the weather they should have cancelled a long time ago. I wonder what other carriers are flying from Halifax, have they cancelled?

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

We have lived out here in NB since January, "Due to probable adverse weather" is b*** ***t for certain.
Flights are cancelled / redirected at the last moment, as the airports here generally cope with -25c and so on no problem.
I suspect it is all to do with next years Winter games, athletes arrive very much ahead of the competition, so as to train etc. in the conditions.
So when an enquiry is made for example 10 or 20 or 30+ seats and say 8 or 18 or 28+ are free and you are in the 2 that block that business, they will unload you some how. It goes on all the time.
I recommend for the future, www.expedia.co.uk
We have used them for 14 different flights in one year, never any probs`.

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

ROFLMAO.....

Living in Atlantic Canada I can tell you that the Canadian Metoffice struggles to forecast accurately 6 hours out let alone 6 weeks and I'm pretty sure its the same for Halifax.....! ;)

Dunno what Canadian Affair are charging for their Halifax flights - everytime I looked into one of the putative GBP89 flights I couldnt get one and it was nearer GBP200 each way. As I would then have to pay $200 plus to fly back to Newfoundland I never bothered. Reading the feedback on their performance - delays etc I have to say that paying the extra for Air Canada seems worthwhile. If you regularly monitor AC website you will see prices change quite frequently and depending on the time of year you can get a deal. (for example recent guests at my wedding travelling from LHR to St John'
s paid between GBP289 and GBP580+taxes depending on when they booked for the same flight!)

AX

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

As has already been mentioned, it appears they are bullshitting you. Flights come and go from Halifax all year round. They don`t just close up the airport for the winter. Anyway, it`s been a long long time since Halifax last picked up snow in October, let alone enough to disrupt the airport :D Maybe if the airport was inland and higher up, it might be a different story!

No one know for sure what the weather will be like in October, Environoment Canada will even admit that :rolleyes: I know that most if not all of the charter flights stop flying into Halifax around October, I just accepted that but never really bothered to ask why.

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

There seems to be a pattern emerging here. Mother in Law is flying out 1st Oct and was due to fly back Calgary to Manchester on 14th, but Canadian Affair have just told her yesterday that her flight is cancelled due to it not being full (maybe people are avoiding them !!!!!!!) She now has to fly back 2 days later on 16th, and has to pay for 2 extra nights accom in Banff ( not too much of a hardship....spending more time in Banff...but thats not the point) What gives these companies the right to mess peoples well planned schedules around. She is semi-retired so it doesn't cause her too many problems...just extra expense, but these cancellations could cause major hassles for a lot of people. Do all airlines do this or is it just certain ones?????

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

I think its more prevalent among charter/low cost carriers than the bigger scheduled carriers. Although Air Canada can prove less than helpful when flights are cancelled/delayed/changed due to weather as I have found to my cost!

And its not just AC ..... Mrs AX was babysitting for some people who had gone from Newfoundland to Hawai via Delta Airlines. They got delayed on the way out and on the way back they got back to Newark and their connecting flight was cancelled. No problem said Delta, we can get you on another flight in.........5 days time! They ended up buying first class tickets on air canada to get back to their kids and got zip back from Delta.

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

Well i called them today and they confirmed that the flight was indeed cancelled, They gave me 3 options: 1, Fly back on the 4th (3 weeks early) 2, fly from Toronto 2 days later (they would get me to toronto) and 3, a refund.

I am opting for the refund as i wasn't planning on using the ticket anyway but as other posters have pointed out, thats not the point.
If you look at my previous post's, i have always praised CA but not anymore. some people travel on a very tight budget and these sort of incidents can be very upsetting and disruptive.
I will never use Canadian Affair again.

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

Interesting, they have not given us the option of a refund in the two times I have spoken with them, although I have mentioned it. It is an obligation in their terms and conditions. I have asked for the options given to me in writing.

Anyone know anything about the Denied Boarding Compensation Regulation no. 261/2004...? It mentions that operators have to give 'right to care' to passengers and give them accomodation, food and transport if the flight is cancelled and there isn't another one for more than a day. Don't know if it applies to Canadian Affair flying back to the UK.

J

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

Shell and Jim
This was cut and pasted form a previous thread that I had put before i went on holiday
My experience of Canadian Affiar
I am back about 4 weeks now and I can say the flight was OK with the family




[QUOTE]My experience so far !!!!!!!!!!!!!


I will try and give you the shortened version of events that happened with the airline.
I got a phone call from them the other week, you know that gut feeling when you know someone has bad news, well I had that feeling.
They cancelled our flight out of the UK on the 17th July, they are blaming Toronto Airport, cancelling their landing slots, due to building work going on at a new terminal. As we are not there we do not know if there is any truth in this.
Friends of ours have just returned from London, Ontario a few weeks ago, they reckon they are talking bulls**t. What my friend reckons is that they have allocated to many seats that they cannot fill, put on to many planes, so they have cancelled our flight and then put us in with the flight the day before, we will be crammed in like sardines !!!!!!

Anyway after a few, "You cant do this, this is going to cause us major problems etc etc etc", they came up with a few alternatives, Wait for it !!!!!!!!

No 1 , The family were to make our own way to Manchester for a flight out on the 17th, about 250 miles away
No 2 , The family were to make our own way to Gatwick to get a flight out on the 17th, about 450 miles away
No 3 , Make our way to Edinburgh to get a flight out on the 17th, wait for it, and make our own way back to Edinburgh when we return to the UK to pick up our car again, as the flight home was returning back to Glasgow. !!!!!!!!
They said I could get the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh, coming in at Waverly station, with 3 kids, all of our suitcases and the babies buggy, told them to p**s off at that idea.

I went off my head, they were not willing to offer any us any overnight accomodation or anything, as they said it was not their problem so they were not obliged to offer anything in the way of accomodation, train tickets etc.

Anyway we came up with a compromise.
We are now flying out of Glasgow on Saturday the 16th July.
They would not pay for our hotel on the evening of the 16th as our car, accomodation has all been booked from the 17th.
Anyway more phone calls to London, their head office, we have now met them half way with the hotel costs, they would not pay for any extra meals, we will have to pay for evening meals and breakfast the next day. [QUOTE]


Eddie

Re: Canadian Affair have cancelled flights
 

Thanks Eddie.

How exactly did you squeeze compensation out of them? I am trying to look for any mistake they have made i.e. not offering a refund as ammo when I complain again, but you must have threatened them with something to get them to budge...?

Cheers

James