Passengers dismayed by Flair Airlines service to Saskatoon in 'traumatic' flight experience

Some passengers say they were stuck in the cabin of a Flair Airlines flight for about 10 hours this week, fending off hunger and thirst by sharing snacks and drinking from the bathroom sink during a gruelling airline odyssey.

Their flight from Toronto was bound for Saskatoon Monday afternoon, but got delayed. When it initially reached Saskatoon, it turned around to Winnipeg where it sat on the tarmac for about two hours without airline-provided food — then headed right back to Toronto.

"They said there was no food or drink to purchase and they offered water once in 10 hours," said Carmen Szabo, referencing one bottle of water that was poured for passengers. Other than that, flight attendants "were getting water from the bathroom," she said.

Szabo called the experience for her and her 17-year-old daughter "traumatic."

She said Flair gave her and her daughter each a $10 meal voucher at the Toronto airport, which she said was insufficient.

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In an email, a Flair spokesperson said the flight did not land because adverse weather conditions made it unsafe.

"Weather can be unpredictable and uncontrollable sometimes," the statement read. "We understand that this diversion may have caused inconvenience to our passengers, and we sincerely apologize for any disruption to travel plans."

Andrew Leeming, vice-president operational excellence with the Saskatoon International Airport, said wind direction, rain, the aircraft type and a shorter runway because of construction led the airline to divert its flight.

He said of the about 1,200 flights that have arrived and left from the airport since June, three have been unable to land because of ongoing runway renovations, all of which have been Flair Airlines flights.

Some airlines and airplanes also have different safety standards, Leeming said.

Gabor Lukacs, the president of the Air Passenger Rights advocacy group, said he isn't buying the airline's excuses for not landing, because it should have known about the landing conditions before it left Toronto.

Lukacs said when airlines schedule flights, they have a responsibility to ensure the plane can land — and if there is anything obstructing the plane from landing, they can't sell tickets for that flight.

He said Flair could be on the hook to compensate passengers with additional cash for meals and accommodations.