BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Traveling for a wedding in Italy isn't cheap, and it gets even pricier when your trip unexpectedly lasts longer than what you budgeted for.
That's the dilemma Angela Passalacqua, of Pendleton, and her family found themselves in due to the ongoing strikes by approximately 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants.
Passalacqua's niece got married in Italy on August 5.
"Everything went perfectly, and then we were supposed to leave on August 16, which was Saturday," said Passalacqua.
She and 12 others in her family had flights booked back to Toronto. However, when the strike started early on Saturday, Passalacqua and her family received text messages that their flights had been canceled.
"That's when the race began," said Rose Randazzo, of North Tonawanda, whose daughter got married in Italy.
'We want our money back': WNY family has costly delay in Italy amid Air Canada strike
Both women scrambled to contact Air Canada to get flights home, but they said they got no answers for days.
Six members of the family had to get back to Western New York immediately and booked tickets through different airlines. Passalacqua said they paid around $1,700 each for flights.
Passalacqua said this travel trouble has cost around $20,000 combined from paying for those flights out-of-pocket and the extension on the Airbnb, meals and rental.
Air Canada booked new flights for the remaining seven family members who are still there on Saturday, but Passalacqua is fighting to get reimbursed for the extra costs.
"We want our money back," she said.
I reached out to Air Canada on Monday, but haven't heard back.
