Max 8 aircraft ban causes stress for Sask. travellers

Saskatchewan travel agencies are dealing with worried travellers after Boeing’s 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft were grounded by Ottawa on Wednesday.

CAA Saskatchewan’s Christine Niemczyk told 650 CKOM on Thursday passengers were looking for information on the effect the ban would have on upcoming flights, and whether they were scheduled to fly on a Max flight.

“Questions were more generic in nature. ‘Hey I booked with you, is that my plane?’ ” she said.

With airlines scrambling to re-book passengers on different planes, Niemczyk recommended travellers stay patient.

“Expect longer-than-normal wait times, whether in person or on the phone, when you contact your airline or travel consultant,” she said.

Niemczyk also pointed out passengers can check their tickets to see if they were affected.

“Anything that is printed will have the type of plane indicated on your itinerary. Whether the ticket is online or printed, there should be a place to find it,” she said.

The Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft were grounded by the federal government over safety concerns after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that killed everyone on board, including 18 Canadians, on Sunday. Another Max 8 was involved in a fatal air crash in Indonesia in October.

It’s unclear how many Canadian flights will be affected by the grounding, though WestJet and Air Canada have said it would cost them millions of dollars to manage the fallout.