Porter cancelled my flight, told me to book a hotel, then refused to pay for it
I wanted to share my recent experience with Porter Airlines and get some opinions.
My flight from Montréal was delayed at first for 3 hours, the pilot told us we'll get a new crew and then eventually after a long wait hit us with the flight cancelled announcement. We had to spend overnight in the airport from 12AM to 8AM because of the cancelled flight. After speaking with Porter customer support, I was told that hotel accommodation expenses up to CAD $400 would be eligible for reimbursement because I had to stay overnight before my replacement flight the next morning.
Relying on that information, I booked a hotel that cost less than the stated limit and later submitted a reimbursement claim with the receipt.
Porter subsequently denied the claim, stating that the disruption was weather-related and therefore outside the airline's control under APPR regulations. While I understand the weather-related cancellation itself may not be compensable, my concern is different: I made the hotel booking based on information provided directly by Porter representatives regarding reimbursement which was totally within the control of Porter.
When I raised this issue, Porter acknowledged my feedback about receiving conflicting information but maintained its position and closed the case without offering reimbursement or further escalation.
My concern is not the weather. My concern is that passengers should be able to rely on information provided by airline staff when making decisions during a travel disruption.
Has anyone else experienced a similar situation with Porter or another airline? Were you able to resolve it?