Numerous travellers were stranded at the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on Thursday (Dec. 22) night despite the airport reporting significantly fewer flight cancellations.
While many of the scheduled YVR flights moved forward as planned, thousands of passengers hadn't been re-booked on new flights due to the lack of availability.
Vancouver Is Awesome spoke to multiple travellers at the airport, with many of them reporting two to as many as five flight cancellations after their original flights out of YVR were re-booked due to the snowstorm.
Airline and airport staff began handing out food and water to customers who were left waiting at the airport Thursday night, as many of them had difficulty booking accommodation.
In an update Friday, YVR announced it will now provide access to over 400 hotel rooms at local hotels, and restaurant gift cards for meals to passengers facing overnight delays.
Passengers will be able to stay up to four nights for free as they wait for their next flight.
The hotel rooms and meal vouchers will be available from Friday, Dec. 23 through Dec. 27.
Travellers are encouraged to check flight details with YVR online or with their airline before arriving. They should also give themselves extra time to commute to the airport due to the dynamic Vancouver weather.
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