Stranded Canadian passengers in Cuba for six days due to Sunwing flight cancellations back-to-home

A vacation that turns into an inconvenience or, more so, a bad experience.

For six days, Roice Anne Fox waited in her hotel lobby in Varadero, Cuba, for her flight to Saskatchewan (or at least Canadian soil), getting only three hours of sleep at night.

"I'm exhausted, and there is zero help from Sunwing. There are more than 100 of us from Saskatchewan waiting here," Fox said, referring to those who arrived on the same flight as them.

Roice Anne Fox has been waiting in hotel lobbies in Varadero, Cuba, with her family. She says during the endless wait her youngest daughter fell sick to a respiratory illness, which was an added stress, and has to sleep on lobby chairs. (Submitted by Roice Anne Fox)

Fox was supposed to fly to Regina on Dec. 27 but has been delayed. Holiday goers were told on Friday that their flights, originally scheduled to depart on New Year's Eve, had been postponed until Sunday.

Although Fox and others traveled away from their hometowns, Fox and others will return to Winnipeg after Sunwing decided earlier this week to cancel all flights from two major Saskatchewan cities until the February 3 and effective immediately.

Sunwing has canceled all Regina and Saskatoon flights through February 3

Canada: Sunwing Vacations Inc. has issued widespread flight cancellations due to the winter storm

The Weyburn pharmacist said stranded passengers had little information from their airlines and had to rely on each other for the latest information. They were kicked out of their hotel room on New Years Eve because the hotel was fully booked for other guests.

"Each of us are looking into different travel websites keeping tabs on this flight. We take turns being awake each night tracking the flight status," Fox said.

"I'm diagnosed with anxiety and in the last two days, I have had panic attacks every six hours. The uncertainty of whether the flight is coming or not is stressful."

The 31-year-old said that during the endless wait, her youngest daughter developed a respiratory ailment, adding to the burden. Other passengers in Saskatchewan are missing out on essential medicines, such as Crohn's disease medication, she said.

"I can't let my kids enjoy the hotel pool either, because we don't know that any minute we can be asked to jump into a shuttle to take us to the airport. Please just pick us up," she said with tears in her eyes.

Arrival details without flight

Her next flight was due to take off on New Year's Day evening, but Fox said it could "easily be delayed again".

"There is no arrival information in Winnipeg today for our flight. Even if they take us there tonight, we'll have to find our transport to Saskatchewan," she said.

"If nothing, we will take a WestJet flight but it will be close to $900 for each of us and we are four. There are families with 11 members who can't afford that. Many saved up through years for these trips and are now stranded."

-CBCnews