Haliburton County travel agent Machenzie Vasey was on maternity leave when COVID-19 disrupted international travel, so says the decision by major Canadian airlines to cancel all holidays to Cuba this week has been the craziest thing she has experienced in the industry.
The Highlander spoke with Vasey shortly after she had gotten off of a plane for a three-week holiday in Florida with family.
While her husband took the kids to the pool, she began to check her messages; knowing that the cancellations would impact County clients currently in Cuba, or planning to go over the next six weeks.
Canada’s major airlines have all suspended service to Cuba, with Air Transat announcing Monday evening it was joining Air Canada and WestJet in cancelling all flights, as the Caribbean island’s major airport warns it will run out of jet fuel. All three airlines said they had plans to bring travellers home to Canada.
Vasey, a home-based independent consultant with Air Transat, said she checked her emails and it was “insane.”
Vasey said that between now and midApril, she had eight couples booked to travel to Cuba, “but will not now, obviously.
One family was flying from Calgary to Toronto to catch a connector. She said they had already been disrupted by a hurricane in Jamaica.
“I have a couple of clients who are stuck right now and have to get on one of the repatriation flights that are coming to Cuba. I get the emails when the flights are coming. The clients also get the emails. And, then, basically you have to get on that flight when the email comes.”
County travel agent says situation on Caribbean island ‘a mess’
Vasey said with internet scarce in Cuba, some clients don’t have cell phones on, so she is emailing them. “They knew what was kind of going on before they left last week and I said if you can get onto internet, check your emails daily, keep in touch with your representative at the hotel, just see what’s going on because this is a daily evolving situation.”
She wasn’t completely floored by the news, saying she had been following the situation in Cuba for years. Last year, she had a large family group sign a waiver in the event something went awry with their travel plans due to shortages.
She termed this week’s news “a big deal’ for the Canadian travel industry in winter.
“It is a mess. It is definitely a struggle right now. However, it’s easier with all airlines following suit now and straight up cancelling the packages. Most are cancelled until early May and some hotels are closed to next November.”
She said she felt sorry for Cubans, and the impact on the county’s economy. “It’s sad, such a beautiful county and all the people there are so friendly.”
