Saskatoon sees axe fall on Sunwing flights starting next month

Sunwing has expanded its cancellations in Saskatchewan to include certain flights out of Saskatoon.

CJ Dushinski, the vice-president of business development and service quality with the Saskatoon airport, said the airport received a statement from Sunwing on Wednesday morning announcing its decision to “reduce” its flight schedule for the remainder of the winter season.

The news comes one day after the airline announced the cancellation of the majority of its flights out of Regina this winter. In announcing those plans, Sunwing told passengers they could transfer their vacation package to same-day departures out of Saskatoon and other centres.

On Wednesday, Sunwing said select departures from Saskatoon to Mexico have been cancelled, including flights to Puerto Vallarta on Sundays beginning Feb. 5, Los Cabos on Thursdays beginning Feb. 9, and Mazatlan on Fridays beginning Feb. 10.

Scheduled Family Day weekend departures to Mazatlan on Feb. 17 will operate as planned without cancellations.

Dushinski said the changes amount to about half of Sunwing’s operations planned for Saskatoon for the remainder of the winter season.

She said the airport is disappointed with the decision but said it recognizes the cancellations are necessary in order to ensure guests will receive the experience they are entitled to. However, airport officials are grateful that Sunwing has chosen to continue some operations from Saskatoon.

“Certainly, we never want to see carriers leave or cancel service but our main concern is really for our guests and our passengers,” Dushinski said.

Passengers can choose to continue with their travel plans by flying with another airline or rebooking their trip, but Dushinski recommended speaking directly with Sunwing to evaluate their options.

“There’s not really a whole lot that we can do to assist,” she said. “They had offered (Tuesday) that some of the Regina-impacted passengers could choose to depart from Saskatoon on those flights that are still going ahead.”

She said the impact the airport will see from this can’t be fully understood yet, but said the financial impact will be minimal. The airport is looking forward to seeing Sunwing return with a better operational position and a full sun-charter program next winter.