airtransat.ca

Disappointing Experience on Our Flight

My family and I were on a flight to a destination today, scheduled to depart at 2:50 PM. After waiting for an hour, we were informed that the plane's wings needed deicing, which was confusing since we had already been on board for an hour. Following another hour of waiting for this process to finish, we discovered the plane lacked enough fuel to reach our destination and had to return to the gate for refueling. This took an additional hour, and we finally left at 5:30 PM after being on the plane for three hours. While I understand that not everything can be communicated, the pilot and crew were not forthcoming at all. After about thirty minutes in the air, the flight was turned around again without any explanation to the passengers. I realize that it might be protocol to keep certain information private, but given the previous delays, this was incredibly frustrating. Upon returning to the airport, we waited another two hours on the plane to ensure everything was fine. Firefighters came onboard, yet there was no communication with the passengers. Once we received the all-clear, we headed back to the gate. We were informed that representatives would assist us throughout the process. We had to go through customs again to retrieve our luggage. After waiting an hour there, my family went to the service desk, where we waited until 11:30 PM to secure a room. It is simply untrue that they attempted to accommodate everyone with rooms. My wife, our 6 and 3-year-old children, and I had to wait until 11:30 PM to book a room at our own expense to make the 9 AM flight the next day. We are from a nearby area, and they suggested putting us in a cab. There were at least 40 of us waiting at the end, most with families, who felt completely let down by this airline. This was a total disrespect to everyone on that flight today.

Date of experience: Dec 12, 2025