Winter storms have hammered Canada since Thursday causing historical cancellations and havoc for air travelers over the Christmas holidays..Now, Air Canada and WestJet announced it will implement a “goodwill refund policy” from its customers who were grounded. One airline is even offering to pay for passengers hotels..The policy announced by Air Canada will allow Canadians to request a refund if they purchased a ticket no later than December 21 for travel to or from a Canadian airport between December 22-26. Refunds also may be issued in travel vouchers..READ MORE: I WON'T BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS: 300 WestJet flights cancelled.“If you’re scheduled to travel during the affected period, you can retrieve your booking to request a refund up to two hours before departure, free of charge on your Air Canada flight,” Air Canada stated on its website in the flexible refund policy due to winter storm section..WestJet also felt winter's rath. It total the airline cancelled 1,247 flights since December 18 which left many people calling airports their Christmas cabin..“To our guests, we know how important your travel plans are at this time of year and every single WestJetter feels the weight of not being able to get you where you want to be. We sincerely apologize for the disruption many have experienced and appreciate your continued patience and understanding," WetJet CEO Diederik Pen said.."Our teams on the ground, in the air and behind the scenes are working tirelessly to recover our operations, while trying to limit any further disruption to important holiday travel plans.".Above and beyond WestJet's obligations, as a gesture of "goodwill" they offered stranded passengers in a connecting city in Canada, a reimbursement for up to three days for accommodation up to $150 CAD per night..The prolonged and extreme weather events that have impacted multiple regions across Canada are unlike anything the airline ever experienced..With the recent storms in BC, Southern Ontario and Quebec, WestJet said it took a proactive and measured approach to protect its operations and prioritize recovery flying.."The decision to stand down more flights was extremely difficult, but it was necessary, so that we could be best prepared to safely fly as many guests, with as little disruption as possible this weekend," Pen said..With recovery, additional cancellations over the next few days may be required..The severe weather impacts continue to prove challenging as aircraft and crew became "out of position."."As we work to stabilize our operations, positioning flights are required, as is mandatory crew rest requirements for safety which can lead to additional cancellations," Pen said.
