N.B. scout group waiting for WestJet reimbursement months after flight

'When it’s a non-profit and when it’s coming out of families' pockets, ($3,000 is) actually quite a big chunk of change,' says a Moncton Scoutmaster of unexpected travel costs.

A Moncton, N.B.-based scout group claims they have been left holding the bill for thousands in reimbursements after a turbulent trip with WestJet.

Members of the Moncton 1st BPSA group flew to the United Kingdom over the summer to attend a camporee – a trip they had been planning for more than three years.

“Surprisingly, we had kids in our group who had never ever been away from home,” said Group Scoutmaster Jeff Melvin.

However, the day before their return to Canada, WestJet cancelled the flight, which left Melvin and the 13 others stranded on the other side of the world.

“We pleasantly were surprised at how simple it was going to be that everything was reassured, that things we’re going to be covered as far as hotels, and our food was going to be covered,” Melvin said in an interview with Global News on Tuesday.

WestJet covered the costs of the hotel upfront but insisted the scouts keep receipts for other expenses that could be reimbursed in an expedited process.

By the time the troop returned home, almost $3,000 had been accumulated in expenses, which included a chartered bus after their new flight ended in Halifax instead of Moncton.

Melvin said he submitted all the documentation soon after the troops return from the U.K., but nearly three months later, the Scoutmaster hasn’t received a cent.