WestJet sending rescue flights to help Irma victims
Posted Sep 11, 2017 12:38 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Calgary-based WestJet is working overtime to bring Canadians home from the disaster zones left by Hurricane Irma.
The airline posted a notice on social media Monday morning saying it understands the communication challenges and if people are able to, they can register through Facebook messenger, Twitter direct message or by contacting the WestJet call centre.
“To date, we’ve managed about 22 flights into and out of both the Caribbean and Florida,” said Ed Sims, WestJet executive vice-president. “Our particular focus has been two flights that left Toronto’s Pearson early this morning to the worst affected areas of which we have awareness of significant numbers of Canadians — that’s St. Maarten and Turks and Caicos Islands.”
The company says this is a very fluid situation and it’s doing its best to safely bring home as many people as possible.
WestJet is getting help from Canada Border Services Agency and the Dutch military, which is in control of the Princess Juliana Airport.
The airline is prioritizing Canadian travelers, but if there’s room it will fly non-Canadians with a valid passport who have permission to travel to the country.
Meanwhile, Air Canada says the company was planning on using a chartered plane to evacuate 95 Canadians who had been staying on the islands.
