Canadians stranded in Puerto Vallarta after violence disrupts flights home to Edmonton

Days after violence erupted in Puerto Vallarta and disrupted travel plans for many Canadians, some families are still trying to find a way home.

That includes travellers attempting to return to Edmonton, who say they have been scrambling to secure flights since before the unrest began last Sunday.

The Wywrot family was scheduled to wrap up their vacation in the popular Mexican resort city and fly home to Edmonton on a WestJet flight Saturday.

“Before we were supposed to fly out we kept getting notifications that our flight kept getting delayed,” said Joselina Wywrot in an interview from Mexico.

The Wywrots, along with fellow passengers the Benson family, say the flight was eventually rescheduled for Sunday.

That same day, a military operation targeting a Mexican cartel leader sparked retaliation in the area, with reports of violence, road closures and airport disruptions.

“Violence happened, flights were cancelled, roads were closed, airports shut down and we’ve been stuck here ever since,” said John Wywrot.

Widespread airline cancellations included the rebooked flight both families were set to take. As of Thursday, they remained in Puerto Vallarta trying to get home.

WestJet has been providing hotel accommodations, but the families say the prolonged delay is taking a toll.

“People are running out of medication, kids are now missing school, there’s lost wages,” John Wywrot said.

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Air passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs says federal regulations require airlines to rebook passengers on one of their own flights within 48 hours of a cancellation.

If that is not possible, he said, airlines must offer passengers the choice of a refund or rebooking on the next available flight with any carrier.

“If there was any flight out of Puerto Vallarta with seats available on it, then the passengers should have been in those seats,” Lukacs said.

In a statement, WestJet said it is “adding flights to accommodate returning guests.”

“As of Thursday, we have scheduled a total of 12 additional flights and are looking at options to add more depending on demand,” the airline said.

WestJet also said an agent booked the Wywrot family on a return flight for Friday over the phone. The family disputes that, saying they secured the booking themselves in an effort to end what they describe as an exasperating wait.

“It’s the unknown that’s frustrating,” said Sandra Benson.