Canada's airline regulator says carriers must work to get stranded passengers home ASAP

Canada's broadcast hose regulator says air carriers ferrying Canadians overseas feature a responsibleness to get delayed or stranded passengers back on track "as soon as possible," including when unpredictable circumstances unfold, such as the violence in Mexico that recently disrupted flight service to the tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta.

"They must always ensure that passengers can complete their itinerary as soon as possible."

There are tens of thousands of Canadians in Mexico at the moment, according to Global Affairs Canada. This includes more than 16,000 in Jalisco state, where Puerto Vallarta is located, and where Douglas Connors and his partner, Alexandru Sonoc, have been vacationing for several weeks.

Thousands stuck in Mexico as cartel chaos calms

Many parts of Mexico saw an outbreak of violence that day, after special forces killed the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Jalisco state.

Cars burned out by cartel members blocked roads at more than 250 points in 20 Mexican states, including in Puerto Vallarta, and sent smoke billowing into the air.

Those events led to Canadian airlines temporarily halting service to Puerto Vallarta, though they have since resumed service there.

Connors and Sonoc said Flair subsequently rebooked them on a departing flight on March 3, a date that is more than a week after their now-cancelled flight would have departed from Mexico.

Connors noted that Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations say that large airlines, like Flair, are obligated to rebook passengers on flights within 48 hours, when circumstances occur that fall outside carriers' control.

A passenger could also be booked "on a flight leaving another airport, if there is an option nearby, if they cannot book them on a flight leaving within 48 hours at the original airport."

The CTA further said passengers who believe an airline has fallen short in meeting its obligations must first file a formal complaint with that air carrier.

"Those who are not satisfied with the airline's response, or have not received a response from the airline within 30 days, can then file a formal complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency."

Sonoc said he suspects that he and Connors are not the only customers who have taken issue with how Flair has handled the situation in Puerto Vallarta. "They are not doing this just to us," he said in a brief interview on Wednesday.

"This was a region-wide disruption, and we will not operate unless we are confident it is safe to do so," the company said in an emailed statement.

"Our teams have been working around the clock to support affected customers with rebooking options across our network and with other carriers where possible, as well as full cancellation and refund options."

Connors and Sonoc will be heading home on an Air Canada flight on Thursday — an arrangement they made themselves, without the help of staff at Flair Airlines.

The Ontario residents opted to seek a refund from Flair, after trying and failing to rebook an alternate flight home with the airline that had brought them to Mexico in the first place.

"We finally just gave up on Flair," Connors said via email.

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