COVID-19: Sunwing cancels flights, travelers left without holiday packages

"It's frustrating to know that this is what the average everyday consumer has to go through to be treated with dignity and respect."

Like thousands of Canadians whose travel plans were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Adrienne Martin of Whitby was left with an airline travel voucher she wanted to use.

A trip to St. Lucia this December seemed like the perfect getaway. She booked the trip with her partner in May.

“This time we decided to upgrade the resort; after being locked in the house for so long we decided to treat ourselves,” she said.

Martin and her partner had a Sunwing voucher worth $4,130 from a previous travel package. They applied the credit to a winter holiday worth $4,650. The pair were scheduled to leave Toronto on Dec. 11 and return on Dec. 18.

The pair booked an all-inclusive vacation in a luxury junior suite with ocean view at the Royalton Saint Lucia Resort and Spa.

But on Oct. 20, Martin got bad news from Sunwing. The airline informed her the flight was cancelled and the Christmas holiday trip could not go ahead.

“We were disappointed and confused,” she said.

Martin was given two options: “change package at the current system rate, subject to availability” or “cancel for a full refund issued to the original form of payment.”