A Canadian couple faced a nightmare 72-hour journey home when their travel plans were disrupted after a vacation in Las Vegas.
Andrew Korchacov, 44, and his wife, 42, flew with WestJet on vacation from their home in British Columbia to Las Vegas on November 4.
The couple had carefully planned their return for the following Sunday, with a late-night flight from Vegas to Vancouver and a second the next day to return them back to their home city, Terrace.
Their goal was simple - be back home in time to get to work on Tuesday.
However, their plans fell apart while waiting to depart from Las Vegas airport when their flights were cancelled two hours before takeoff.
Their expected 25-hour journey home had been rebooked by the airline which created a 72-hour itinerary with multiple stops.
The Korchacovs were expected to first fly from Las Vegas to San Francisco before a second flight, two hours later, would take them back to Vancouver.
There, they would then be stuck on the ground at Vancouver for a whopping 52 hours before a 10pm 90-minute flight to Calgary.
The next morning would be the last leg of their journey into Terrace, adding 47 hours to their original plan.
Andrew Korchacov and his wife were forced to spend over $3,000 to get home after their flights were cancelled and rebooked - adding 47 hours to their journey
The couple had gone on vacation to Las Vegas and hoped to make it home in time for work on Tuesday
I thought this was a mistake, Korchacov told the National Post. I cannot spend a week of my life flying. It doesnt make sense.
Korchacov tried to find some answers at the airlines help desk and joined a long line of other passengers doing the same - but he was met with rude customer service and no solution.
First of all, they were rude to me. They said: "Well, you got your ticket rebooked. What do you want?" I said: "What do I want? I want to get home," he told the outlet.
In desperation, he offered to spend even more money to try and rectify the situation and get home on time. Korchacov was sure this couldnt be the fastest way home, and there must be another way.
She said "you get what you get, and if you cause any trouble, were going to call security on you," he said. Basically, she told me to "go away."
In a state of confusion and frustration, he hadnt managed to see the nametags of who he was speaking to, he said: My state of mind was so disturbed that I didnt pay attention to the name tags if there were any. In hindsight, I should have.
In the end, the couple ended up spending $3,050 on an Air Canada ticket just to get home Monday, that took them from Las Vegas to Portland, then Vancouver and home to Terrace.
Korchacov tried to find some answers at the airlines help desk and joined a long line of other passengers doing the same - but he was met with rude customer service and no solution
They finally made it home by 4pm on Monday, 18 hours after their began, with both of them expected at work the following morning.
I just did what I did to get home. If I had to walk, I would walk. If I had to drive, I would drive, he told the outlet.
WestJet released a statement to National Post which said: We sincerely apologize to Mr. and Mrs. Korchacov for the inconvenience they experienced travelling from Las Vegas to Terrace.
Mr. and Mrs. Korchacov’s flight was initially cancelled due to maintenance which was required for safety.
Unfortunately, there was limited availability to Terrace both within our network and through alternative carriers, making options for re-accommodation extremely challenging.
Mr. and Mrs. Korchacov were notified of the flight disruption via email and phone and were advised that they would be eligible to receive hotel and meal vouchers if they accepted alternative travel arrangements with WestJet.
Korchacov, however, is yet to hear from the company and said he was still waiting for a reply.