Thousands of winter vacations have been disrupted leaving travellers and advisors in a rebooking scramble as Canada’s major airlines and operators cancelled flights to Cuba due to lack of aviation fuel.
As first reported by Open Jaw, both WestJet/Sunwing and Air Transat followed Air Canada’s lead late on 09FEB by announcing they were ceasing all flights to the island nation but would be bringing thousands of Canadians back home.
It had to happen from an operating point of view, but Canadian travel advisory Brenda Slater said it’s devastating news for clients.
“I’ve had to rebook a group of 250 which I’ve worked on for a year,” she told Open Jaw. “They were bringing supplies to Cuba as well. They are devastated.”
Slater said she’s looking to book alternative trips to Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
“But, for some clients, nothing can replace Cuba.”
The sentiment is echoed across FB groups where consumers are expressing anxiety and confusion along with noted sympathy for the Cuban people. Cuban Vacations and Resort Reviews noted: “Right in front of our eyes our favourite place on Earth is suffering and there’s nothing we can do. No one can help, no one can change the situation.. I can’t believe what’s going on, such a shame.”
One industry source told Open Jaw that advisors are dealing with “complete chaos” as they secure refunds and search for space in other destinations. And, as with all such travel crisis, advisors are not compensated for the additional time.
"Our agents are working hard to manage the unfortunate circumstances for our clients and have things under control," one agency manager said in an email. "We are doing our best to manage the high-stress situation, process cancellations and find alternatives where desired.
"Some clients are looking for alternatives such as cruises while others are loyal and repeat travellers to Cuba and are foregoing travel currently."
For airlines, there’s also the issue of what to do with the aircraft slated to fly those routes. Parked planes are an enormous financial burden for airlines.
“For sure, Air Canada will redeploy somewhere, as grounded assets along with associated fixed costs make no money and, in fact, lose the company money,” AirTrav Inc. President Rob Kokonis told Open Jaw. “Other sun markets will for sure be a target. I’m not so sure domestic markets need more shoulder season capacity.”
WHAT HAPPENED
Cuban officials set off alarms on 08FEB when they advised airlines they would run out of aviation fuel on 10FEB until possibly 11MAR.
Air Canada was first out of the gate, stating it was suspending service to Cuba as of 09FEB. “Over the following days, the airline will operate empty flights southbound to pick up approximately 3,000 customers already at destination and return them home,” the airline said.
“For remaining flights, Air Canada will tanker in extra fuel and make a technical stops as necessary to refuel on the return journey if necessary. Air Canada will continue to monitor the situation to determine an appropriate restart of normal service to Cuba at a future date.”
WestJet initially said it had instituted a flexible booking policy in response to the Cuban fuel problem, but later said it was cancelling flights.
“Aligning with our focus to put guests and crew first and protect the integrity of our operation, WestJet Group has made the decision to begin an orderly wind down of our winter operations to Cuba, this is inclusive of WestJet, Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations and Vacances WestJet Quebec,” the airline said.
“To lessen the strain on local resources, beginning today (O9FEB), WestJet will depart Canada with empty aircraft to support the organized return of guests currently vacationing in Cuba. All aircraft dispatched to Cuba will carry sufficient fuel to safely depart without reliance on local fuel availability.
“If you’re scheduled to travel to Cuba on a flight or vacation package with WestJet, Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations, or Vacances WestJet Québec, your trip will be cancelled. Affected guests will receive communication with options, including refunds or flexible changes,” WestJet officials said.
Air Transat sent out a release shortly after 9 p.m. EST on 09FEB to say it, too, was spiking outbound flights to Cuba.
“Air Transat announces the temporary suspension of all flights to Cuba until April 30, 2026, following the rapid developments of the past few hours and the announcement by Cuban authorities of an anticipated aviation fuel shortage at destination airports,” officials said.
“The company is in the process of organizing repatriation flights to bring its customers back to Canada, which will be scheduled over the coming days. The aircraft deployed for these operations will carry the necessary fuel to operate these flights.”
TICO RULING
The Travel Industry Council of Ontario put out a statement on the Cuba situation on 09FEB.
“Under Ontario law, if a travel agency or tour operator acquires rights to travel services for resale and is unable to provide the travel services because a supplier fails to deliver them (e.g., flight to destination or availability of hotel), customers must be offered their choice of:
- A refund;
- Comparable alternate travel services acceptable to the customer; or
- A voucher or similar document that is acceptable to the customer for future redemption towards travel services.
If a customer prefers a full refund for a travel package, Ontario’s consumer protection laws require a refund be provided within a reasonable timeframe.”
AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
The Trump administration has cut Cuba off from its traditional fuel sources in an effort to put pressure on the island nation, which has long been under strict economic sanctions imposed by the US government.
It’s unclear what will happen to tourism in Cuba in the long run. As a vital source of foreign income is cut off and jobs disappear, there is no doubt Cuba will suffer devastating losses.
“I feel for the advisors who have clients booked for Cuba, and I feel for those clients,” one advisor wrote on the Canadian Travel Professionals Facebook page. “But I especially feel for the Cuban people. They rely on these tourism dollars and things were already difficult for them.”
