A small airline that offers flights from Canada to Greece and Croatia has announced that it is temporarily ceasing all operations.
SkyGreece started operations last year and began flying out of Toronto and Montreal several months ago. It owns one airplane and leases a second.
Last week it had to cancel several flights, and it did the same this week. Late Thursday, the company announced in a news release that it was shutting down, at least in the short term. It blamed "financial setbacks" caused by the Greek economic crisis for its problems, which it says amount to "system-wide multi-day delay and significant additional expenses."
The cancellations have stranded passengers in Europe and many are struggling to find their way home. They've created an online forum to air their complaints.
Many people have contacted CTV Montreal to say they have not been able to contact SkyGreece. In the release, the company advises passengers to contact their travel agent to arrange for alternate travel plans and accommodations, but mentions nothing about those who did not book through a travel agent.
Laval reisdent Bessie Broussalis tried to call the airline Monday. She left a message she says has yet to be returned. Through social media she's found other numbers for contacts at the company, which she says all aren't working anymore.
Broussalis is desperate to get her elderly father home. He's been vacationing in Greece but learned his flight on SkyGreece airline has been cancelled and hasn't been rescheduled.
“It is a big inconvenience. There is a lot of stress involved for my family. We were very worried about what was going to happen, when he’s going to return. He is elderly, he is 74-years-old – he has medications will he run out of, how long will it take for him to come back, how much is this going to cost him… there’s just so many things running through our heads,” she said
CTV has not had much luck getting in touch with the airline either. On Thursday morning, CTV was unable to contact anyone from SkyGreece by phone, and the airline's Laval office appears to be abandoned -- nobody was at the Chomedey Blvd. offices Thursday and the mailbox is stuffed with unopened letters.
Travel agent Jimmy Georgiadis said passengers who are stuck in Europe, or who have to make alternate arrangements for travel, may be compensated.
"All we can say is that clients who booked through a travel agency in Quebec are protected by [consumer protection laws] in the case of supplier default," said Georgiadis.
He added that he has not been able to get an answer from the airline either.
"We are getting a lot of questions, people are asking us what we're going to do. We're in a holding pattern right now. We don't have any concrete information to add," he said.
He suggested passengers who bought tickets directly from the airline contact their credit card company in hopes of getting a refund.
If the company does declare bankruptcy, there may be no other recourse for passengers.
