While on holiday in Finland with her husband, the Air Canada flight from Toronto to Frankfurt – a stop on the way to Helsinki – was delayed by about 45 minutes. “We literally ran to Germany to pass the security with our Canadian passports, running from one terminal to another and we were the last to board the flight from Frankfurt to Helsinki,” Mantyla told SooToday. That was when the Mantylas were ready to make the final leg of their home trip to Sault Ste. Maria that there were worse difficulties. They left Helsinki on Tuesday 28 June and flew to Frankfurt first with Lufthansa and then at Pearson International Airport in Toronto via Air Canada. “We landed and rushed to the other side of the terminal and realized that Air Canada had canceled our flight to Sault Ste. Mary. There was a queue for every Air Canada cancellation, with hundreds in line. We went to a customer representative and they told us there were no flights to Sault Ste. Maria until Friday, July 1. “So we’re basically stuck in Toronto until July 1st,” Mantyla said. The Pearson test lasted three hours, he estimated. Mandila and her husband received hotel vouchers and food stamps from Air Canada for accommodation and meals while in Toronto. The couple was among the lucky ones compared to the suffering of others, Mandila said. “We are lucky that we do not have to rush to work and we do not have children at home. We have seen mothers breastfeeding and the elderly in wheelchairs. It was more taxing for them. ”
“We went to see if we could get our luggage and we stood in another queue and the Air Canada spokesman said our luggage was in a back room waiting for the July 1 flight and if we canceled our flight, our luggage they would go out of that room and he went to the floor somewhere in Toronto. “ Mantyla and her husband did not cancel their flight to Sault with Air Canada, but instead of waiting on Friday to return, they booked an extra cost flight with Porter Airlines – flying from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport – to fly to Saturday afternoon Wednesday. The return flight to Sault is necessary for family reasons, Mantyla said. He hopes their barcode will be shipped by Air Canada from Pearson to Sault on a separate plane on Friday. Airlines have been blamed for overflight – an aggressive move to offset the loss of revenue during the pandemic – with insufficient staff or reserve planes to handle passenger numbers, leading to large queues, last-minute flight cancellations and delays. and difficulties for passengers. The airlines, in turn, blamed the federal government for a lack of federal security and customs officials at the airports. The Canadian Aviation Safety Authority has hired more than 900 inspectors since April. Many of these projectors are still being trained. “I think Air Canada is to blame. I wrote an email to the office of Sault MP Terry Sheehan and they called me this morning. “The email I sent to their office said I did not want Air Canada to have any more subsidies until it had rectified customer service,” Mantyla said. “Air Canada should have planned all the closed trips and I feel that the CEO of Air Canada and all the executives and members of the board should be at Pearson and deal with this baggage. When we walked, there were strollers, child car seats, guitars, bicycles, sports equipment all lying there. “Some people sleep in Pearson.” “It is frustrating. “They need to redirect their workforce from their offices to deal with this delayed baggage and focus on delivering it to the right owners and in the right place.” It was a trip home Mandila and her husband will not forget soon. Mantyla’s time in Finland – June 1 to June 28 – was more enjoyable, a combination of work and pleasure. In addition to visiting family and friends and enjoying excursions to national parks, Mantyla – who is the Honorary Consul of Finland in Sault Ste. Marie – met with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Finnish Foreign Ministry officials to discuss the necessary trade with North America as Russia’s war in Ukraine has complicated Finnish trade with its eastern neighbor. There were also some light moments.
“They reminded us that we lost in hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics,” Mandila said with a laugh. “It simply came to our notice then. “Even the president said it with joy.” As for future travel plans, Mantyla said she and her husband are planning a trip to Arizona, but will be flying from Michigan.