What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, but passengers aboard a sweltering, stationary Winnipeg-bound WestJet plane for five hours in stifling heat last Sunday were desperate to leave Sin City behind.
“It was a vacation of h-e-double hockey sticks,” said Mack Mroz, one of dozens stuck on the fully booked, un-air conditioned, not-cleared-for-takeoff flight in 40 C heat.
“Up until then we had a great time, but this tanked the weekend.”
Passengers were stuck aboard a sweltering, stationary Winnipeg-bound WestJet plane for five hours in stifling heat last Sunday. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press files)
Mroz, who travelled to the gambling and entertainment mecca with friends for a quick three-day bachelorette trip on July 18, was forced to spend an extra night there, at her own expense.
She was in her seat a half-hour early for the 7:30 flight home Sunday evening. That’s when the problems began.
“We kept sitting at the gate for what seemed forever,” she said. “They finally said we were overweight because of the runway they put us on, and because of the heat it was too hot to take off.”
Two hours later, still on the tarmac, the plane moved into a long line of aircraft waiting to take off, when the passengers were told they would have to wait for a thunderstorm to pass through the area.
“Finally, 3 1/2 to four hours since we boarded the plane, we found out more fuel was needed to get to Winnipeg, so we had to get out of the line to fuel up,” Mroz said.
“Then they found the flight attendants’ time had maxed out, so we went back into the airport. Forty minutes later, WestJet’s reps said the flight was cancelled, but we would get no money for hotels or food because it was due to weather.
“You are on your own.”
Mroz said by the time she and other passengers got their luggage, another 2 1/2 hours had gone by.
“We kept sitting at the gate for what seemed forever.”–Mack Mroz
“It was 2:30 a.m. and we were still in Vegas.”
She said WestJet rebooked them on a flight the next day and they finally left Las Vegas Monday afternoon.
“When we took off it was very hot; that’s why I don’t understand why we didn’t take off the night before,” she said.
Gabor Lukacs, founder and president of the Air Passenger Rights advocacy group, said an overweight plane “is not a weather issue.”
“It is a matter of an unsuitable aircraft for that route,” Lukacs said, adding it is also not the passengers’ fault the crew failed to notice the plane required more fuel.
“Passengers should have been rebooked on competitor airlines and they are owed meals, accommodation and $1,000 per passenger under (Transport Canada’s air passenger protection regulations).”
A WestJet spokeswoman said late Thursday afternoon the airline needs more time “to gather the appropriate information.”
“Passengers should have been rebooked on competitor airlines and they are owed meals, accommodation and $1,000 per passenger under (Transport Canada’s air passenger protection regulations).”–Gabor Lukacs
However the airline provided a response to a social media post made by Mroz three days ago.
“We are very sorry to hear about your experience on flight WS1353,” the message read.
“This is certainly not the level of service we strive to provide. Your safety and comfort are our top priorities and we understand how distressing this situation must have been. Please send us a direct message.”
Mroz said when she responded WestJet just told her to file a complaint.
She said passengers were told they had to stay seated with their seatbelts on and said no one was permitted to use the washrooms. Flight attendants eventually relented, allowing children to use the facilities, but everyone else had to stay in their seats.
“It was incredibly hot in there,” she said. “The temperature outside was 42C. At one point, we got a simple cup of water; I’m surprised nobody passed out or threw up.”
Amanda Mazzagatti, a spokeswoman for Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, said the facility has four runways that are concrete — instead of asphalt — that controllers operate in different directions to ensure excessive heat doesn’t affect flight schedules.
“There wasn’t a mass grounding of flights on Sunday,” she said. “Las Vegas is no stranger to high temperatures; that alone doesn’t impact operations.”
Passengers wait inside the plane on the tarmac. (Supplied photo)
Mazzagatti noted, however, that because planes need a longer runway to take off when the mercury is higher than normal, there could be some delays.
Mroz said she doesn’t know if she will ever get compensation for the extra expenses she incurred, but she is certain about one thing.
“I absolutely will not be flying on WestJet again,” she said.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.