Image Credit: FILE PHOTO
August 08, 2017 - 4:00 PM
KAMLOOPS - While thick smoke from wildfires continues to blanket Kamloops, airlines are thinking on their feet as to how to accommodate passengers.
WestJet and Air Canada have been using shuttles to transport passengers from Kamloops to Kelowna for certain flights, Kamloops Airport managing director Fred Legace says, but not all flights in and out of Kamloops have been cancelled.
Legace says all passengers should check with their airline about whether or not their flight is cancelled, and if it is, the airline will have the most information on how they're reaccommodating passengers.
WestJet for example opted for using mini buses and regular buses as shuttles to transport passengers from Kamloops to Kelowna in order to get people to their destination.
"We are working to minimize delays in getting to their destination by providing guests of these affected flights with bus transportation to and from Kelowna where we are operating reaccommodation flights," WestJet spokesperson Lauren Stewart said in an email.
The affected flights included a flight from Kamloops to Calgary this afternoon and a flight from Calgary to Kamloops.
As of now a flight from Calgary to Kamloops at 8:45 p.m. tonight, Aug. 8, is still scheduled, but that could change so check with your carrier beforehand.
"We have been working hard to reaccommodate our guests to and from Kamloops during this time and certainly don’t want to add any more anxiety to already stressful situation," Stewart says. "We hope to be operating out of Kamloops again once the situation is safe to do so."
Environment Canada can only forecast smoke for two days at a time, so there is no telling when the smoke in Kamloops could subside.
Legace says Air Canada is also offering shuttles if any of their flights are affected.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2017