Air Canada travel turmoil ruins holiday reunion for Barrie, Ont. family

After years apart, Breda Schraner was excited to reunite with her children living overseas during the holidays, but instead, the Barrie, Ont. woman was met with travel turbulence without ever taking off from the airport.

In the early morning hours on Christmas Eve, Schraner was preparing to fly out of Pearson International Airport in Mississauga to Switzerland, only to experience a two-hour delay before boarding the plane.

Once on board, she said they sat on the tarmac as minutes turned into hours while Air Canada staff ensured the plane would take off.

"After three hours on the plane, we were told our flight was cancelled," said Schraner.

As the disappointment sank in, the Barrie resident said she was forced to cancel her holiday plans and return to the terminal to retrieve her luggage.

Schraner said she arrived at the baggage claim amid crowds of people and very few airport employees to offer help.

She said they sent various people to different carousels to search for their items.

"People were going back and saying, 'There is no baggage. There is no baggage.' And they finally gave us forms to fill out for lost baggage," she recalled.

Two weeks later, Schraner's luggage is still missing.

In a statement to CTV News, an Air Canada spokesperson wrote severe weather over Christmas disrupted travel, adding, "A delay in one part of the country has knock-on effects across our network," noting the situation led to cases of "delayed and misconnected baggage."

Air Canada told CTV News it had looked into Schraner's claim, which it said was filed on Jan. 4, and now that it has the complete information, her baggage will be returned.

Gábor Lukács, the president of Air Passenger Rights, has been following the flight airline disruptions closely and said many passengers could be entitled to reimbursement.

"After the 21st day, you can start replacing the items that were in your baggage and keep your receipts. Ultimately, you can make the airline pay for that," he said.

Lukács noted the recent challenges at airports were reminiscent of those over the summer and believes disruptions will continue unless drastic measures are taken.

"If the airline breaks the law, they should be fined heavily. So that it will be less profitable for the airlines to break the law and have to comply," said Lukács via zoom.

Still, Schraner said it doesn't make up for the time lost with her family.

"We were really looking forward to visiting and spending Christmas with them, but it wasn't to be," she concluded.