'We're going to fight': Labrador residents protest expensive airfares, call for action
CBC
About 100 people holding Labrador flags and signs rallied outside the Wabush Airport on Saturday, calling for more affordable airfares and action from PAL Airlines and government.
The protest was about standing up for the needs of Labrador residents, who are fed up with paying expensive fares to fly in and out of the region, said organizer Dena Rumbolt.
"We need it, we deserve it. We're going to fight for it," Rumbolt told CBC News.
"There's power in numbers and everybody is backing this. Everybody is backing it because now the lead has started, so we'll see where it goes," she said.
Airfare costs in Labrador have risen by 33 per cent over the last five years, according to a fare analysis report commissioned by the Goose Bay Airport Corporation.
There is a bigger financial impact for people flying out of Wabush, the home of Labrador's second largest airport, where prices have risen by 47 per cent.
There is also little competition in the region. PAL Airlines and its partner Air Borealis are the only carriers providing Labrador residents with air travel.
Rumbolt heard stories over the years about people's struggles with flying, she said. But it struck home when her mother-in-law, who was in St. John's, had a medical emergency. She booked her husband a flight but it was cancelled twice.
"We were like, 'OK, you know what? We're not going to get to see our mom now,'" she said. "That's what they were thinking before she passed."
The experience was frustrating and it prompted Rumbolt to start the protest, she said.
Noreen Careen also came out for the protest to show her support for getting more affordable airfare for the region, especially for seniors.
"Sometimes trying to get a senior out of here for medical appointments — it's practically impossible. We have to do fundraising at times," said Careen.
She has to fly for a medical appointment in November and is in the process of filing out the provincial medical transportation assistance program form to cover costs.
"I'm anxious to see how well it's going to work," said Careen.
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