‘I felt like we were being taken advantage of’: Canadians seek travel refunds amid natural disasters

Some Canadians are struggling to recoup thousands of dollars from their cancelled travel plans as a series of natural disasters causes widespread destruction in Canada and elsewhere.

“We were pretty much looking forward to our dream trip of Canada if you will,” Brenda Brunelle of Windsor, Ont., told CTV National News.

Brenda and Don Brunelle had plans to fly out from Windsor to Vancouver last Wednesday for a train voyage aboard the Rocky Mountaineer, something they have wanted to do for about 10 years.

But two days before their flight out west, the train company cancelled their trip due to an emergency order in British Columbia restricting non-essential travel due to the ongoing wildfires in the province.

Firefighters have been battling major wildfires across the country including in B.C. and the Northwest Territories. Recent wildfires have damaged or destroyed some 200 properties in the Okanagan region.

The Brunelles acknowledged the fact that it would be unsafe to travel to the western province at this time and immediately wanted to cancel, but heard nothing from the Rocky Mountaineer.

“We absolutely could not live with ourselves knowing that we were taking up space that was otherwise required by a first responder or a family member that has been fleeing their home,” Brenda said.

“It would have been like tourists to a tragedy and those people were suffering enough,” Don said.

Brenda says they were eventually told that they would not be entitled to a refund, but would receive a credit to book another trip in 2024 or 2025 at an additional cost.

“I felt like we were being taken advantage of,” she said.

And because their trip was cancelled less than 48 hours before takeoff, Flair Airlines initially refused to offer a voucher. Altogether, Brenda says they spent about $10,000.

CTV National News reached out to Flair Airlines, which has since offered the Brunelles a voucher. Rocky Mountainer has found the couple a spot on a train this fall.

Peter Loewen and his family had to move their trip to the City of Angels after initially planning a week in Palm Springs.

This past week saw the first tropical storm in 84 years hit the area, resulting in flood watches and other severe weather warnings.

“We were supposed to check in on Sunday afternoon, which was Aug. 20, and that was essentially right when the tropical storm was supposed to make landfall in Palm Springs,” Loewen, who lives in Toronto, said.

He and his family were booked to stay at an AirBnB in Palm Springs before the rare storm forced them to alter course. Loewen said 911 was down for nearly 24 hours at one point.

With the exception of the cleaning fee, AirBnB declined to reimburse the family citing the company’s policy, which states that it does offer reimbursement or credit for natural disasters — as long as they were not foreseeable. The Loewens are now out about $3,000.

“That policy should have been enacted in this case,” Loewen said.

AirBnB told CTV National News it is working to provide the Loewens a refund.

Travel expert Loren Christie advises travellers to “read the fine print” and ask questions ahead of time when booking a vacation to see if any accommodations will be provided for events such as these.

“If you’re looking at natural disasters, check out the force majeure clause,” he said, referring to a section in some contracts that protects one or more parties from liability in the event of a major unforeseen event.

“Find out what’s included, and they can be different,” Christie added. “They’re not all created equal.”

With files from CTVNewsVancouver.ca Reporter Becca Clarkson and The Associated Press