Marion McRoberts of Medicine Hat had an exhausting ending to her Hawaiian vacation.--NEWS PHOTO IAN SORENSEN

GILLIAN SLADE
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After waiting many hours on each of four days for WestJet to provide a replacement flight from Maui, a Medicine Hat resident says the "lei over" in Maui was badly handled and the compensation WestJet offered after it was all over was an insult.
Scheduled to depart Maui on a Thomas Cook flight contracted by WestJet, a mechanical problem that was supposed to be easily fixed, resulted in all passengers languishing in the airport for nine hours before being shuttled to a hotel for the night.
"We were given $10 meal vouchers but if you've travelled to Maui you know that $10 does not begin to purchase tea and a sandwich, let alone a meal," said Marion McRoberts, who'd been on vacation to celebrate a milestone birthday with a friend. "There were about 200 people from southern Alberta who felt let down" by the Calgary-based airline.
"We understand that vouchers obviously go further at some hotels compared to others," said Robert Palmer, public relations for WestJet to the News. "Our guests are welcome to contact us if they are out of pocket on meals or other expenses."
On Day 2, passengers checked in at the airport. They waited eight hours before returning to the hotel again.
"The third day everyone was told a 'rescue flight' was on its way," said McRoberts.
After six hours, WestJet's airplane finally arrived and everything went wrong.
"When it landed a loud bang was heard throughout the terminal, followed closely by a second explosion, which were actually two tire blowouts," said McRoberts.
"The waiting was real bad," said Robert Boake, who lives near Acme.
He says perhaps a notice board updated every couple hours would have kept passengers better informed.
"I suspect that in this case, there was little new information to communicate and rather than make a PA announcement every 15 minutes with no new information, the staff in Maui may have decided to wait until they had something to announce," said Palmer. "Nonetheless, it was a good lesson for us."
Ultimately WestJet sent another airplane but it, too, was delayed. Several flights were all scheduled to depart in a very short time and the check-in lines were exhausting, said McRoberts.
They spent another four hours before taxiing down the runway.
McRoberts says the extra days in Maui were not an extension of the vacation either. Waking hours were spent in the airport or waiting in vain to hear from WestJet about alternative plans.
McRoberts was surprised there was no WestJet representative to meet them in Calgary when the flight eventually arrived at 1:40 a.m.
"WestJet's response was a stock email, not even personally addressed," said McRoberts. "They offered a $500 'travel bank credit' to be used within one year on a regular WestJet flight. We hope they will see the folly of their inadequate compensation and look to improve customer relations with the local market that has helped them become successful."
Palmer says it was necessary to send out an immediate gesture of goodwill, the $500 "travel bank credit" acknowledging that the experience was not good.
"Guests who incurred additional expenses have since contacted us to request that we consider reimbursements, which we have done on a case-by-case basis," said Palmer.
When the News talked with Boake he did not know he needed to contact WestJet.