Travellers wait in line at a Sunwing Airlines check-in desk at Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. The federal transport minister's office says issues being faced by Sunwing travellers from Saskatchewan are unacceptable. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

By Lindsay Newman, CKOM News Staff

Experts believe there’s more than one factor to Sunwing cancellation in Saskatchewan

Jan 3, 2023 | 1:21 PM

Aviation experts are calling the suspension of Sunwing flights at Saskatchewan airports part of the nature of the industry right now.

Karl Moore, an associate professor at McGill University, said the suspension of routes is also where we’re at in aviation history.

“There was a mass exit from the industry, probably because they had no choice,” he told Gormley on Tuesday. “At a certain point, (flight attendants) went out and got other opportunities.”

It’s not just the flight attendants, Moore explained; the story seems to be similar with baggage handlers and security.

Moore said part of the problem was there was more travel that started in the fall with more than what was anticipated. As well, there wasn’t enough staff.

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He said another problem is the lack of pilots and how they need to be retrained after the travel hiatus.

But for pilots, Sunwing is at the bottom of the list compared to airlines like Air Canada because of better pay and regular flights.

“(Sunwing operators) were caught because of the pandemic. They were caught because they are more second tier in terms of people wanting to work there,” Moore said.

He also said that winter in Canada is not a surprise, but the recent storm that cancelled a number of flights was a little different.

“Toronto and Vancouver both were caught by (the storm) because partly it’s the time of the year when it’s the biggest time of the year (for travel),” Moore said.

According to Moore, there is a similar story with Southwest Airlines in the United States.

The U.S. airline cancelled more than 15,000 flights last week, which he believes is due to an outdated computer system.

Sunwing is expected to resume service to Regina and Saskatoon on Feb. 3.

Customers impacted by the suspension are expected to receive their refund within 30 days.