Sunwing Gets a $375 Million Loan from the Government

In the wake of winter sun flight cancellations by Canada’s four major airlines, Sunwing has a message of support for travel agents who are facing more rebookings and commission recalls ahead.

Speaking with Travelweek, Melanie Filipp, Sunwing’s Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations, says that the airline is standing by agents and values their business.

Announced on Jan. 29, in a move that took effect Jan. 31, Sunwing, along with Air Canada, WestJet and Transat, cancelled all flights to the Caribbean and Mexico through April 30 at the request of the federal government as part of ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and all its new variants.

All four airlines are offering refunds to passengers impacted by the cancellations. According to Filipp, the cancellations – though unexpected – are not anticipated to have long-term effects for the airline.

Sunwing’s hopeful outlook will also be buoyed by a new loan – announced by the Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corp. (CEEFC) and made under the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF) – that will give the carrier access to $375 million of liquidity. It’s expected that these funds will go towards protecting jobs in Canada’s airline sector.

Combined, Sunwing Airlines and Sunwing Vacations provide nearly 3,000 Canadians with full-time jobs.

Source: Travelweek