P.E.I. travel agents busy with questions about grounded airplanes

Some P.E.I. travel agents say they're getting lots of questions from clients wondering what kind of airplane they're booked to travel on, and whether their flight is still a go.

On Wednesday Canada joined many other countries in grounding the Boeing 737 Maxaircrafts, and stopping them from entering Canadian airspace until further notice.

There are safety concerns following two recent crashes involving the plane, the most recent one this past weekend in Ethiopia, which killed all 157 people on board.

"Probably every second call right now is, or every second person walking in right now, that's the topic of conversation, is the 737 Max 8," said Andrea Carr-McNeill of the Travel Store in Charlottetown.

"Typically, the aircraft equipment is not something people tend to pay close attention to. But obviously after this weekend and the restrictions put on the 737 Max 8, people are paying attention, and now they're asking questions: How does it affect me? Can it affect me? And how will it affect the future?"

There are no 737 Max 8s that fly from Charlottetown currently, but Carr-McNeill said some of her clients were booked to fly on the plane from other airports.

Air Canada, Westjet, and Sunwing have all said they're working to rebook affected passengers on other aircraft. In a statement to CBC News Air Canada warned that given the magnitude of its 737 operations, customers can expect delays in rebooking and reaching its call centres.

Carr-McNeill said it is going to be difficult to fill the gap left by the grounded planes.

"What do you replace them with? You've got all these routes, in Canada alone, that use these aircraft," she said.

With March break in P.E.I. and Nova Scotia next week, she said it is a particularly busy time.

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