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㽶ƵֱScary㽶Ƶֱ: B.C. mom left 㽶Ƶֱabandoned㽶Ƶֱ in airport with toddler and no luggage

Heidi-Louise Chadwick and her two-year-old son are still trying to get home after 3 days of travelling
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Heidi-Louise Chadwick and her two-year-old son waited in the Calgary airport for hours before their flight was cancelled, prompting her husband to drive 14 hours to save them. (Courtesy of Heidi-Louise Chadwick)

Hundreds of people have been stranded in airports trying to get home for the holidays as British Columbia is pummelled with inches of snow and ice, including one Victoria mother.

Heidi-Louise Chadwick is just one of many who are feeling the impact of the severe weather, poor flight responses and other transit cancellations.

On a travel stint from Orlando, FL to Calgary Dec. 21, the mother and her two-year-old son were late getting to their connecting flight to Victoria because of a delayed landing and a moved gate. The flight was, however, delayed multiple times - leaving Chadwick and her son waiting for hours on the hard airport floor.

After arriving at the airport around 9:45 p.m., Chadwick, who was flying with WestJet, learned that her flight was cancelled around 2:30 a.m. She and others on the flight were asked to leave immediately and without their suitcases.

㽶ƵֱThe staff said they couldn㽶Ƶֱt help anyone and we㽶Ƶֱd get an email,㽶Ƶֱ Chadwick said. 㽶ƵֱThey said we would get a $150-per-night hotel reimbursement for up to three nights. We weren㽶Ƶֱt allowed a voucher and due to sheer volume of cancellations they couldn㽶Ƶֱt comment on hotel availability or assist any of us. They said they couldn㽶Ƶֱt comment on rescheduling info and flight availability. They then reiterated we all needed to leave immediately. They said we couldn㽶Ƶֱt have our suitcases and said they㽶Ƶֱd be on the next flight we㽶Ƶֱre on.㽶Ƶֱ

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As Chadwick quickly tried to book a hotel, she soon found that anything close was full and stranded with an infant and only a carry on, she was left bewildered at the treatment she and others had received.

㽶ƵֱI㽶Ƶֱm a well-versed traveller and have travelled with my son solo many times and have never felt so abandoned by an airline,㽶Ƶֱ she said. 㽶ƵֱI understand there is only so much that the check-in staff can do but as I solo-travelled with a child, it was turning into a very dangerous and scary situation.㽶Ƶֱ

With the help of some other good-willed passengers, she was able to find a taxi to a hotel that could take her, getting there at 4:30 a.m. Dec. 22.

Later, she received an email from WestJet alerting her that the company was unable to find her another flight, further extending her trip. It was then that Chadwick㽶Ƶֱs husband insisted he drive the 12-14-hour trek over land and water to come get his wife and son.

㽶ƵֱAt this point, I just needed my luggage as I didn㽶Ƶֱt even have a coat, let alone anything appropriate for -40C weather for my son,㽶Ƶֱ she said. 㽶ƵֱWe had no one to watch our cats and we didn㽶Ƶֱt know how long it would take for him to get to us and us to get back so he had to bring them with him. Luckily, the hotel I stayed at allowed pets and we could check them in once he arrived.㽶Ƶֱ

Chadwick knows she is not alone in this mess. Flight cancellations and other transportation delays have caused massive problems across the country.

As of now, Chadwick, her family and her pets are still trying to make it home.

㽶ƵֱI㽶Ƶֱve tried to contact WestJet to see if I can locate my luggage and see if there was any other option but their phone lines were full and they weren㽶Ƶֱt accepting any more calls,㽶Ƶֱ she said. 㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs been really tough. I spoke to a few people at the hotel I was at, the staff there and also my taxi driver, and the effects of these cancellations have been felt throughout the whole of Canada.㽶Ƶֱ

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hollie.ferguson@vicnews.com

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Hollie Ferguson

About the Author: Hollie Ferguson

Hollie moved to Victoria from Virginia in September 2022 with her partner Zachary and their two pups, Theodore and Bibi.
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