Hundreds of people have been stranded in airports trying to get home for the holidays as British Columbia is pummeled with inches of snow and ice, including one Victoria mother.

Heidi-Louise Chadwick is just one of many who are feeling the impact of the severe weather, poor flight responses and other transit cancellations.

On a travel stint from Orlando, FL to Calgary Dec. 21, the mother and her two-year-old son were late getting to their connecting flight to Victoria because of a delayed landing and a moved gate. The flight was, however, delayed multiple times - leaving Chadwick and her son waiting for hours on the hard airport floor.

After arriving at the airport around 9:45 p.m., Chadwick, who was flying with WestJet, learned that her flight was cancelled around 2:30 a.m. She and others on the flight were asked to leave immediately and without their suitcases.

B次元官网网址淭he staff said they couldnB次元官网网址檛 help anyone and weB次元官网网址檇 get an email,B次元官网网址� Chadwick said. B次元官网网址淭hey said we would get a $150-per-night hotel reimbursement for up to three nights. We werenB次元官网网址檛 allowed a voucher and due to sheer volume of cancellations they couldnB次元官网网址檛 comment on hotel availability or assist any of us. They said they couldnB次元官网网址檛 comment on rescheduling info and flight availability. They then reiterated we all needed to leave immediately. They said we couldnB次元官网网址檛 have our suitcases and said theyB次元官网网址檇 be on the next flight weB次元官网网址檙e on.B次元官网网址�

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As Chadwick quickly tried to book a hotel, she soon found that anything close was full and stranded with an infant and only a carry on, she was left bewildered at the treatment she and others had received.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 a well-versed traveller and have travelled with my son solo many times and have never felt so abandoned by an airline,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 understand there is only so much that the check-in staff can do but as I solo-travelled with a child, it was turning into a very dangerous and scary situation.B次元官网网址�

With the help of some other good-willed passengers, she was able to find a taxi to a hotel that could take her, getting there at 4:30 a.m. Dec. 22.

Later, she received an email from WestJet alerting her that the company was unable to find her another flight, further extending her trip. It was then that ChadwickB次元官网网址檚 husband insisted he drive the 12-14-hour trek over land and water to come get his wife and son.

B次元官网网址淎t this point, I just needed my luggage as I didnB次元官网网址檛 even have a coat, let alone anything appropriate for -40C weather for my son,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e had no one to watch our cats and we didnB次元官网网址檛 know how long it would take for him to get to us and us to get back so he had to bring them with him. Luckily, the hotel I stayed at allowed pets and we could check them in once he arrived.B次元官网网址�

Chadwick knows she is not alone in this mess. Flight cancellations and other transportation delays have caused massive problems across the country.

As of now, Chadwick, her family and her pets are still trying to make it home.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e tried to contact WestJet to see if I can locate my luggage and see if there was any other option but their phone lines were full and they werenB次元官网网址檛 accepting any more calls,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been really tough. I spoke to a few people at the hotel I was at, the staff there and also my taxi driver, and the effects of these cancellations have been felt throughout the whole of Canada.B次元官网网址�

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