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‘Very frustrating’: Series of Air Canada cancellations leave man stuck in N.J. for 5 days

An Air Canada plane is seen in this March 12, 2019 file photo. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

Ben Cousins, CTVNews.ca writer Published Wednesday, July 3, 2019

A man travelling to Ottawa for Canada Day was left stuck in New Jersey for five days following a series of Air Canada flight cancellations.

Royd Aquino was flying to Ottawa from the Philippines on June 28, with a stop at the Newark Liberty International Airport, but his flight from Newark was cancelled due to weather in Ottawa. The next day, poor weather once again forced a cancellation.

Because of the two days of cancelled flights, all the Ottawa-bound flights on June 30 filled up and Aquino was not able to get onto a plane for a third-straight day. The flights he was supposed to take on July 1 and 2 were both cancelled due to technical issues.

“It’s very frustrating. It’s already been five days,” Aquino told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon.

“I was planning to go to Canada around July 1 to experience Canada Day, but instead I’m stuck here. Maybe next year I will be able to experience Canada Day.”

Aquino eventually arrived in Ottawa late on Tuesday, though his fifth flight was delayed by more than an hour.

Aquino, who is also moving to Canada as a temporary resident, said he paid $300 for a hotel room on the first night, but stayed with a close friend who lives in the area for the rest of his travel delay.

“It turned out like an unplanned holiday,” he joked.

Aquino describes himself as an “adventurer” and admits he wasn’t as frustrated with the situation as some people might be.

“If this case happens to many people, then maybe they’ll burst out,” he said. “For me, I’m just chill.”

Air Canada confirmed the cancellations and blamed “a number of factors related to weather and aircraft issues.”

“We will be in touch with the customer and deal directly with him about any concerns related to his experience,” the company wrote in a statement.