Sunwing Airlines Passenger Reviews and Sunwing Airlines Customer Trip Reports

Flew to Punta Cana from Ottawa on February 2. Plane left at 6 am, got to the airport at 3.30 am. First shock, there was a huge queue and only 2 boarding agents. Next shock, the plane itself. An old Czech 737, a 28-row plane with 32 rows. I'm 6'3", the seat was almost painful. Crew members were cheery. The real horror story was the flight home, supposedly on the 9th. Told to be ready for pick up at the resort at 9.30 am. While waiting, told a storm in the US Northeast had caused a delay, that we were to be picked up at 11.30 pm. Then advised the plane was going to leave at 6.15, Sunday morning. Picked up at 3 am, taken to the airport, checked in, got to the gate - our flight was delayed until 12.30! No one from Sunwing was there, of course. Finally a plane landed at 6.00, and we boarded the sardine can and flew home. Got to Ottawa 22 hours late.

Very disappointed, flight delayed more than 12 hrs - told snow storm in Calgary. Check live weather feed and clear and sunny and no snow. Offered $150 off next vacation with Sunwing to be used in the next 12 months. They don't care now that they have your money.

Flight to Cancun on February 2, 2013 went well. Was impressed by the Flight Attendants' service. Flight and service back home was very disappointing and very frustrating. Delayed 16 hours in Cancun. Confusion, disorganization and no Sunwing Representative to explain anything. Will not travel Sunwing again!

Very disappointed. Departure flight to Cuba was delayed more than 12 hours and the return flight was more than 4 hours. Worst customer service ever experienced - would never pay Sunwing for a vacation in the future.

Ottawa to Varadero Cuba and return. Both flights were delayed. Ottawa to Varadero was supposed to leave at 5.15pm Saturday, delayed until 6am Sunday. Received notice that it was only supposed to be delayed until 3.50am Sunday. Had to wait 6 hours at the airport. No clear explanation given as to why there was a delay. Same thing leaving Varadero except no notice. Flight scheduled to leave at 10.15pm Saturday, flight delayed until 12 pm Sunday - 13+ hour delay. No announcements no explanation as to the delay. We had to go through customs in Cuba twice because of leaving to go to the hotel they provided. They were so disorganized by the time we got checked in we only had 3 hours of sleep. We arrived back in Ottawa at about 4pm.

First and last time we will use Sunwing Airlines. Trip to Cuba delayed on Feb 4th by over 8 hours. Return flight home which was supposed to be on Monday, Feb 11th at 5pm didn't take off from Cuba to Vancouver until Tuesday, Feb 12th at 6am (a 12.5 hour delay). Again, no real explanation as to why? This airline needs to shape up, I know they're a charter airline, but they don't seem to care about their passengers.

We were delayed 10 hrs from Jamaica, Feb 17 2013. Never told until we got down to check out at 5am that we were delayed until 9.30 pm. Rep was no help, said didn't know what was going on, we sat in the lobby all day until at 6pm a bus finally came for us. No empathy at all from this airline or their reps when we were there. Not one persons story matched the others, cannot feel we can trust this airline for any help so do not see ever flying with them again!

Going to Puerto Vallarta Feb 3/13 to Feb 10/13. Stood in line for 1.5 hours to get checked in. They told us flight was delayed but couldn't tell us for how long. They gave us a $15 food voucher and sent us to wait. Flight was 3 hours late. Interestingly on the departure board all Sunwing flights were delayed. Got on plane and none of the headphone outlets worked in my row of seats, therefore couldn't watch or listen to anything. The other problem I have with Sunwing is their baggage allowance. All other airlines I've flown with give you a 50 lb baggage allowance but Sunwing only allows you 44 lbs. Big difference especially if you are travelling for more than one week. Plus the 5 kg carry on allowance is ridiculous. Our empty carry on suitcases (new hard shell light weight) with one pair of shoes was 5 kg so I travelled to Mexico with 2 virtually empty carry ons. I wouldn't recommend this airline especially if you have to make a connection. I would be worried about their problem with flight delays.

Horrible experience on more than one occasion and destination with this airline. I will choose to pay extra and have a stop over to avoid flying them again! I will only fly them again if there is no other choice. The only reason I am giving the airline a 2 and not a 0 is because I had decent flight attendants and was served a decent meal. People at the check in counter both in Calgary and other countries awful as well. Not willing to help, and each person you talk to will give you a different story.

The blizzard in Halifax on February 9th shut down the entire airport and we were sure our vacation was ruined. Sunwing flew their plane in, switched crews and got us to Cuba with only a couple hours delay. The only plane to get out of Halifax last weekend. The crew were friendly, kept us informed, we had meals and champagne.

I recently flew to Bahamas Feb 3rd from Toronto, my first time flying with them and will be my last. On the way to Bahamas we had a 6.05pm flight, which we found out last min was delayed - they said 3 hrs, no explanation. Asked the Sunwing Reps and they said they had no idea why it was delayed, weather was great that day. They gave us a $10 food voucher. Check in was very slow, they only had 2 people working and they had to hand write everyone's vouchers. Took off a 9pm which got us to Bahamas at midnight, arrived at our resort close to 2 am. Return flight also delayed 4 hrs, it was scheduled to leave at 10.30 pm but left at 2.30 am, no explanation at all! At this time of night the Bahamas airport was basically closed down, no food or water. We were signed up to get email notifications of any delays, we received nothing! Disappointing.

Used Sunwing vacations for a trip to Puerto Vallarta on Feb 1, 2013. Flight delayed 4 hours leaving Ottawa. Not only was there no explanation but they only told us that at check in. Leaving Mexico the same thing happened. After saying it was on time, the plane was 2.5 hours late and again they only told us at the airport, rather that let us wait at the hotel were we could eat, drink and relax. The seats are so small, if you have a larger passenger next to you, you'll have to sit at an angle in order to fit. I'll never use Sunwing again.

Recently flew back from Jamaica with Sunwing and was very disappointed. Their representatives in Jamaica were not helpful in any situation. As for the airline itself, all I can say that they have very poor communication skills. Our flight got delayed a few times during the day, until finally we board the plane just to get off again in a few minutes. Very disorganized - they did not give us any reasons. The one day delay would not have been just a big deal if we would have been told from the beginning. On top of the run- around, since they knew from the night before that they did not have any food for us on the plane, no one told us to get something into us before we board. It was 7 hours without food. We did get a $150 voucher for our next trip, really?

We travelled back from Punta Cana on February 2nd, actually February 3rd as our flight was delayed for several hours. Checked out of our resort on Saturday morning for a 12.30 flight only to be told by the Sunwing rep that the flight was delayed until midnight, no real excuse given! At around 6, my husband checked the board again, went to the Sunwing rep and found out the flight was further delayed. The plane was delayed for another hour, when we finally boarded we were served a dinner menu at 7 in the morning! Not provided with headphones even though the movie was playing. The plane was so small, I am a small person but could not even move my legs! Never, ever again would I fly this airline. We were re-imbursed the $49 for the hotel room. As far as I am concerned, this airline is just providing a shuttle service back and forth to these resorts and it is only to make money, customers do not matter to them!

Feb 1 - Feb 8, Ottawa - Puerto Vallarta. Flight out was 5.5 hours late due to late departure from Cuba and slow service in Ottawa. Were given meal vouchers and waited. Flight was fine, elite seats with extra leg room was nice but seat mates who sprawl aren't. Entertainment system wasn't working properly - sound kept dropping out. Service was fine. Return was 1.5 hours late but was on day of major storm in Canada that saw many stranded but not us. Flight was fin. All in all no worse no better than other charter airlines.

Sunwing flight to Varadero was only delayed by an hour and a half due to weather (de-icing). Flight crew was great, food was ok and included wine. This was from Windsor on Jan 31st. Return flight on Feb 7th was equally good. I have heard of delays, but most of them are weather related and flyers have to be aware that safety is first priority.

I booked with Sunwing for Feb 13, 2013 going from Toronto to Las Vegas. It was a 3.30pm flight. The plane pushed back from the gate right on time and headed for the runway. Once there it turned around and headed back to the gate. The pilot said there was a slight problem and it would only take an hour to fix. We sat on the plane for 1.5 hours and then de-boarded. I asked at the gate if there was a chance that the flight would be cancelled and was assured that we would be departing. Finally at 9.30pm they cancelled the flight. No explanations, no apologies, nothing. I was told on the return flight that Sunwing doesn't even own their planes. They rent them from different airlines all over the world. The plane we were on for the return trip was from Czech Airlines. I will never fly Sunwing again.

We were to fly Jan 14 from Calgary to Cancun at 10.15am. When we arrived at the airport there was a notice - flight delayed until 8.50pm. Given a voucher for a hotel room but no food. Later told when the flight from Cuba arrived we would take this plane. However, our flight crew was sent elsewhere. When we arrived at 5.50pm checked luggage without incident, cleared security and off to have a drink. 1.5 hrs later we hear one announcement for Sunwing. No reps to be found, Westjet employee advised us that the flight was cancelled and would go tomorrow at 11.45 am. Collected the luggage, got in yet another queue for hotel and food vouchers. Minimal staff present to answer questions. The next morning we check in again, and learn the plane we are taking to Cancun was to go to Huatulco. There is poor management starting at the top, lack of organization, possible poor maintenance on airplanes and huge lack of service. We lost 26 hours of our vacation. I will not recommend Sunwing or fly Sunwing ever again!

I travelled to Cuba using Sunwing airlines last week and was not happy with it. The flight was delayed on the way there and on the return it was delayed 9 hours which caused me huge problems. I am very disappointed in their service and negligence towards customers. On the flight back I received a voucher of $75.00 towards Sunwing airlines but I don't think I will fly them again!

Just got in from Costa Rica today to Toronto. Big storm yesterday in Toronto so our flight was delayed over 16 hours. Sunwing paid for everyone's hotel and dinner. They really didn't have to do anything. We were very impressed. My only complaint is that we were to be a direct flight to Costa Rica and we had an hour stop in Panama City.

Trip from Calgary got off to a bad start after the plane sat on the tarmac for an hour with no explanation. In fact we were originally told that we were slightly ahead of schedule! Return flight from San Jose Del Cabo was worse though, delayed 6 hours with the explanation that there was poor weather in Kelowna. A quick check by other travellers found that there were other planes landing in Kelowna at the same time and weather was fine. The stopover in Kelowna was added after we had purchased our trip expecting a direct flight. Communication was very poor, were either not told anything, or lied to. The crew change over in Kelowna took 2 hours, again with no explanation. Total trip time to get home was almost 12 hours for a 4 hour flight. Cabin crew were friendly. These seas are so tightly packed you have to be tiny to be comfortable, those over 6 ft beware! The food was mediocre and the rest of the service is oversold and undelivered. Not really a discount trip compared to what it would have cost on another airline, and therefore the first and last time we will ever fly with Sunwing.

Recently on Feb 3 2013 we were flying back from Jamaica and got the biggest run-around from the Sunwing Reps. Our flight was delayed about 5 times from our resort to the airport and after about a 12 hour delay they were kind enough to give us a 15 dollar food voucher! We were then told they had to de-board the aircraft that we were flying out on and we had to board the same aircraft in 25 minutes as the Jamaican airport was shutting down at 10. At 10.02 we were not all boarded and all passengers that were onboard had to get off as the airport was closed. They set us up at a different resort 45 minutes away so by the time we got to bed it was 2 am and we had to be up and back to the airport at 7.30.

Flight SW 730 Toronto to Montego Bay on January 11, delayed 11 hours without any explanation. Sunwing website was not updated. Arrived at Pearson at 6.30 am with the rest of the passengers and was told that the flight was delayed until 5pm. We were traveling with small kids and after a big fight we were put up in a nearby hotel. Came back at 3pm checked our luggage and proceeded to our gate. At 4.30 the plane was pushed away without explanation and we were told to proceed to a different gate. We were told we will board at 6pm. Six o'clock came and went without a plane at the gate. The Sunwing reps at the gate had no idea if and when we will board. We were told to proceed to yet another gate. Finally a plane landed at 7.30, unloaded its passengers and we were able to board shortly after 8pm. We did not take off until after 9pm. Did not get to our hotel until 3.30am. While the on-board crew was professional, the airport staff and customer service at Sunwing were useless.

Flew from Calgary to Cancun. Flight had a 36 hour delay. Sunwing knew about the delay and chose not to tell passengers anything. They were short staffed and were not allowed to fly and had no other crews ready. Sunwing gave out $15 food coupons to use at the airport. When we boarded the plane after 4 more delays, the crew was so frustrated and overworked they complained that the delays always happen. On our return the transportation to the airport did not pick us up. The Sunwing representative called for a taxi which we had tp pay for. The one washroom was not working on return flight. Crew said maintenance on the planes is poor. I will never fly with Sunwing again and will not recommend it to anyone!

My husband and I flew on flight 731 to Negril Jamaica. Our trip was excellent until it was time to depart. Of course we were delayed. First were delayed by a few hours as we were to depart 2pm and arrive in Toronto at 7.40. We arrived at the airport at 7pm and were told the flight would leave at 10pm. They gave us a $15 food voucher. This was after we had eaten and all the restaurants were closing by the time the vouchers were given out. We finally lined up and got organized to get on the plane at 10pm, we started to board and than were hit with again a message we have to get off and get our suitcases as we were not flying out until further notice. Proceeded to get our luggage and wait. No one from Sunwing explained what was going on and where we were going. They finally boarded us on a bus. They dropped off 300 people at a resort over an hour away. Told to be at the reception in the morning for 7am. Finally Sunday we got to the airport tired, cranky and hungry. Told to check in again. Onboard, they had no answers and handed our voucher for $150 for our next Sunwing trip. The service was rude and we were only served a mini bag of chips as they had no food.

January 28 2013 - Flight from Vancouver to Cancun delayed 10 hrs with very little explanation. Very long day and many frustrated people. Nice to hear they are sorry but little consolation when one day of holidays has been eliminated. Also hard to travel overnight with 2 young children after already waiting for a flight for 13 hours. More should be done to make up for it but company would go broke with as many incidents they have it seems. I do not recommend using Sunwing. The shuttle back to airport late as well although it didn't cost us any time.

February 3, 2013. Cancun to Edmonton. Plane was on time and we boarded at 6.30pm, however we had to taxi back to the Cancun terminal due to 'a baggage issue' which 14 hrs later we learned was baggage weight being over and then the flight crew timed out. Stuck on the plane for 3hrs with no service or communication from the staff waiting for the new flight crew in Cancun. Then about to land in Edmonton but had to circle back to Calgary due to fuel shortage. 25hrs we've been up now. Stuck in Calgary now after a 2hr wait at baggage claim and another 2.5hrs before our plane leaves for Edmonton. Offered $150 for each passenger on their next flight.

Currently we are sitting at an unscheduled stop on what should have been a direct flight from Cancun to Edmonton. The transportation has been terrible, started with a 1hr wait at Cancun airport upon arrival while we waited for transportation to our hotel. Our transfer never showed up to get us back to the airport for our return home. We were told twice that our transfer would be there in 5 minutes, after waiting 30mins we lost confidence and got a cab for 50 dollars. We sat on the gate (on the hot plane) for 3 hrs. Originally told there was a luggage problem. After this delay we had to wait for a new crew to arrive. During these 3hrs we sat on the plan while the crew stood outside drinking water. Passengers were not offered anything to drink. As we thought our trip was nearing an end we were advised there wasn't enough fuel so now we sit in Calgary. We waited for our luggage for 90 minutes because we now had to go through customers. We are told our flight to Edmonton will be at 8.45am - this would be 4 hrs 45mins layover in Calgary. Still not home.

We spent $4000 for our holiday through Sunwing and were treated like we were on a discount adventure. All I really wanted to do was sit beside my wife but was told at check in that we didn't pay the extra $30 for our seat selection so that wasn't guaranteed. I would expect to at least sit by my travel partner after pay that sort of money. We went to Cancun and waited in line at the airport at Sunwing for over 1 hour and 45 mins to check in when we went to leave and again if we would of paid for our seat we would of not only sat together but there would have been no line. I will never book with Sunwing again.

A 5 hour flight from Cancun to Edmonton took 16 hours. They kept lying to us about what was happening, no one knew what was happening and they kept us with no food or water in the baggage area in Calgary for hour. Do not fly with this airline if you want to arrive to your destination or if you want your bags to be on the same plane as you!

11.5 hour delay coming home from Cancun to Edmonton. No real explanation as to why. Travelers were quite patient given the circumstance. Very disappointed with the lack of communication and constant misleading information. I believe situations such as this can really show the proper service our hard earned dollars deserve, unfortunately Sunwing completely failed.

Jan 13, flight 654 out of Calgary at 6.45pm (destination Varadero, Cuba) got delayed 14 hrs. We found out at the check in counter 3 hrs before flight. Explanation - flight crew were out of hours. We were given a hotel voucher and a food voucher. The hotel was swamped with a full plane off passengers to put up. I'd say poor management on Sunwing's part. The seats were cramped, if you dropped something, good luck trying to pick it up. Crew were excellent, so were the pilots.

Jan 22/13. Flight out of Vancouver to Huatulco delayed 2 hours because Flight Deck Crew needed catch up sleep time. We were told that at check in and by the cabin crew later. The tight seating configuration is inhumane. I guess there is an industry standard and Sunwing went to the required mm. The Cabin Crew were most pleasant. The Deck Crew handled things beautifully, but we will never fly Sunwing again.

My husband and I recently travelled to Montego Bay Jamaica. Our flight from Ottawa was 4 hrs late arriving in Montego Bay at 3.40 pm at our resort and lost 1/2 day of our holidays. Our return trip to Ottawa was late as well by 2.5 hrs with no explanations. We were not very impressed with Sunwing and will not travel with this airline again.

Never again. $1298 for a flight in economy (elite?) to Cancun from Edmonton and that's very economy. Actually economy class is sardine class on this 737 aircraft. Food was just ok and they announced a choice but by the time the stewardess got to us there was only one. I will say the flight attendants were pleasant.

Calgary to Huatulco delayed 13 hrs due to staff shortage. Supposed to leave at 11.45 am on Tue Jan 15, never left until 1.20 am Wednesday morning. Good thing we checked departure times prior to leaving home as we were never contacted about delay. If I wanted to fly a red eye flight I would have booked one. We lost a day and were only offered a $150 voucher to be used only on a full fare flight or vacation. Our flight home was delayed over 2 hours with no explanation. Supposed to leave at 8.40 pm and arrive at 1.40am but instead we finally arrived at 5am after the 2+ hr delay. If you want information you better be ready to seek it out yourself. This was my first and last Sunwing flight. Seats are very uncomfortable and zero leg room, my mini computer could not even open up because the seat in front reclines practically into your lap. Good luck getting out into the aisle as the armrest does not move leaving you less then 12 inches to swing your body out of your seat row. The Vancouver staff replacements tried hard to make people happy, I am sure they must be very frustrated and overworked employees.

Our first and last time flying with Sunwing. We were coming back from Puerto Plata on January 18, 2013 and our flight was delayed 10 hours. No explanation from the Sunwing representative. Communication was very poor and Sunwing would not answer phone calls about the delay. Our flight was also delayed 2 hours on the way down from Ottawa on January 4 - with no explanation of course! From what I hear this is quite normal for them so we can count ourselves lucky it was only 2 hours! I do not agree that you get what you pay for - we have flown numerous times with Air Transat, Canjet and Westjet and never had delays like this - and those were cheap flights also.

Recently went to Montego Bay and they delivered a high quality experience on both flights. The flight from Montreal left on time but because of a long queue for de-icing we had to be patient until it was our turn. The pilot was very good at communicating to us what was happening. Flight attendants were pleasant and cheerful and stayed that way. I travel extensively for work so am used to airlines that have switched to buy- on-board service. I was amazed that Sunwing was able to offer so much to its passengers without charging any extra (free luggage allowance, champagne, wine, headset for watching a free movie, hot towels before a hot meal and chocolate before landing). Keeping in mind that Sunwing is a charter airline, they provided my family with a great experience at a great price.

My flight was supposed to leave on Sat Dec 22 at 5.15. Actually took off at 2.30 am on December 23, 2012. Because of gate problems and flight delays, we didn't get on the plane until past 8.30 and as we were about to take off, the plane hit the break. Plane just took us back to the terminal and the pilot came on to tell us the plane had to be checked. The door opened and we were left there waiting to get off for another 30 mins without a word. When we finally were allowed to get off, none of the Sunwing representatives were present to help us. The secure area was closed, no store or restaurants opened. Eventually got back on the plane around 1-1.5 hrs later. The price of the trip was lowered almost 200 within 5 days of me purchasing it. Contacting Sunwing is very hard and some of the customer representative are very unhelpful and almost rude.