Ontario woman wants compensation after Flair said she would have to wait 2 weeks to fly back home
CBC
A Burlington, Ont., woman is trying to get compensation from Flair Airlines after it cancelled her flight from Florida back to Canada and rescheduled it over two weeks later — forcing her to drive back in a rental car.
"It was mind-boggling," Erin Lawley told CBC Hamilton.
She wants a refund for her rescheduled flight, carry-on and out-of-pocket expenses, which include the more than $2,600 spent on the rental car.
A passenger rights advocate said Lawley has a good chance of getting money from Flair.
"This is egregious," Gábor Lukács said.
Flair Airlines told CBC Hamilton it is reviewing the case.
The 30-year-old single mother of two who lives in subsidized housing and is also a student said she saved up for two years to take her kids to Florida.
After spending roughly a week-and-a-half abroad, Lawley drove to the airport in a rental car, expecting to fly home.
When she arrived, she said she learned Flair cancelled her flight.
Lawley said the airline told her it would pay for her stay in a hotel and offer her $240 worth of food vouchers.
She said she raced to get the rental car back, which cost an extra fee, and then book a hotel.
Lawley said she found a room, though it wasn't big enough for the kids, her boyfriend and herself.
She also said the food vouchers were expired by the time they tried to use them.
The next day, Lawley said hotel staff were asking her to check out.