Calgary hailstorm forces cancellation of Saskatchewan flights

Earlier this week, the Calgary airport fell victim to a massive hailstorm that had some terrible effects for people across the Prairies.

The storm grounded planes and created a wave of cancellations, and with Calgary being the connecting hub for many flights to and from Saskatchewan, the province’s airports are feeling the pressure.

Ten per cent of WestJet’s fleet was grounded and damaged due to the hailstorm in Calgary.

On Wednesday, WestJet said that roughly 250 flights have been cancelled since Monday. Many of those flights coming in or out of Saskatchewan.

“Calgary being WestJet’s global hub and being so close to us, we rely on them heavily,” Justin Reves, the Regina airport public relations director, said.

Regina’s airport is still seeing a few cancellations because of the ongoing situation in Calgary but Reves said there are solutions.

“The good news is we have a ton of capacity and service to Calgary so while it’s disrupting travellers we’re hopeful that people will be able to find another flight to be able to get to Calgary and then onwards to wherever they’re going in the world,” Reves explained.

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Saskatoon’s airport is experiencing some delays and cancellations of its Calgary flights according to its website.

It says in a statement that it recommends travellers stay up to date with their flight status through WestJet’s website before arriving at the airport.

“We understand that some aircraft in the WestJet fleet were affected as a result of the severe hailstorm in Calgary earlier this week,” the statement reads.

“WestJet has indicated that this decrease in capacity will have an impact on their network. At this time, we recommend that all travelling guests check the status of their flights with their airline prior to coming to the airport.”

Despite WestJet’s difficult year with mechanics going on strike and now a hailstorm causing heavy damage, passengers Global News spoke with are mostly understanding.

Marni Westerman said her trust with the airline has been damaged a bit, but it really comes down to specific flights.

“I just had a fantastic flight and everything went well today,” she said. “We put someone on a flight the other day and it didn’t go so well.

“Some of the things that have happened have been out of WestJet’s control.”

For traveler Derek Pardy, he said there are always challenges but his experience has been very positive by and large.

“I know that they had a lot of flights that were grounded as a result of the damage,” Pardy said. “It’s better to be safe than sorry and in my experience talking to them, they’re doing the best they can with regards to trying to accommodate people under difficult circumstances.

Reves says there’s no timeline on when WestJet will get back on track.

Global News reached out to WestJet for comment, but they did not respond before publishing.

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