“Stronger when we work together”: Travel advisors react to Sunwing’s commission protection

Messages of thanks and gratitude are circulating among Canadian travel advisors today (Feb. 21) after Sunwing, in an unprecedented move, announced that it will protect commissions on vacations that were suddenly cancelled this week due to operational challenges brought on by extreme weather and the Delta plane crash at Toronto Pearson on Monday.

As PAX was first to report, Sunwing will protect travel advisor commissions on flights (vacation packages) that were scheduled to depart between February 17 and February 21, 2025.

Speaking to PAX over the phone yesterday, Sunwing Travel Group's Chief Marketing Officer Samantha Taylor said the protections will apply to all flights that were cancelled across Canada during the above period.

“What is so critical to us,” Taylor said, "is that our partnership with the trade stays protected. It’s so important to us. Travel advisors are the lifeline of this business. They are everything to us. In times like this, they do so much heavy lifting. We thank them for how gracious they have been during this time.”

“We are grateful”

The update came hours after PAX ran a story Thursday morning about renewed fears of commission recalls among travel advisors as mass Sunwing cancellations hit Toronto (YYZ),  Montreal, (YUL), and elsewhere.

The Association of Canadian Independent Travel Advisors (ACITA), a grassroots advocacy group that formed in June 2020 at the height of the pandemic, was first to publicly raise their concerns.

Taking to its Facebook page, the group, in a post that tagged Sunwing, openly asked the airline and tour operator if it would be protecting travel advisor commissions amid the ongoing trip cancellations.

At the time, it was unclear what Sunwing’s commission policy was now that the company is owned by The WestJet Group.

Later, upon learning that Sunwing would, indeed, be protecting commissions, ACITA issued the following statement to PAX:

“To say we were thrilled with the decision by Sunwing is an understatement,” the group wrote in an email Thursday night. “We have been through this all before, and we felt like we were in a recurring nightmare yesterday.”

ACITA – which is steered by travel advisors Nancy Wilson and Brenda Slater, and others – said it was key to voice their concerns, and get the word out, “as fast as possible,” saying that they were “not prepared to take this without a fight.”

“We mobilized our more boisterous voices to not be willing to accept the status quo,” the group wrote. “The belief that ACITA was formed on was that we can make a difference when we all come together with a common goal, for a better industry for us all. It is, and always has been, the small actions of many that make a difference to the changes in the future.”

The group went on to offer a “heartfelt thank you to those who weren’t afraid to call Sunwing out and stand up for all advisors in this industry.”

“We are stronger when we work together. We are grateful that Sunwing recognized our value and all the hard work and dedication of travel advisors across the country,” the group said.

Pain remains

Comments left on PAX’s Facebook page paint a generally positive picture of the trade’s reaction to the news, with many agents thanking Sunwing for doing "the right thing." 

But others have different feelings. Some advisors are still feeling the impact of Sunwing’s commission recalls of 2022 and early 2023 in which the company, at the height of the winter season, pulled out of Saskatoon and Regina airports, and in Atlantic Canada, to operate recovery flights for stranded passengers in sun destinations after a winter storm crippled air travel across the country.

That painful period, notably, was Sunwing’s first official winter season coming out of the pandemic, which brought aviation to a near halt.  It also occurred months before Sunwing was officially acquired by The WestJet Group in May of 2023.

Travel advisors lost thousands from those recalls and Sunwing, at the time, issued apologies. Since then, the company has been trying to earn back the trade’s trust – even tipping its hat to the travel advisor community in its 2024-25 winter campaign.

“We cannot grow and continue to thrive as Canada's largest vacation provider without the advisor community,” Sunwing’s Samantha Taylor told PAX last October. “They are a critical part of our future.”

But travel advisors like Rosthern, SK-based Kelly Klassen, who lost over $40,000 in commissions during the winter 2022-23 season, still feel the sting.

“While I am thrilled for travel agents who are being rightfully compensated for the hard work they have done on behalf of their clients, it is hard to ignore the fact that Sunwing left clients stranded in destination, delayed and cancelled flights at the last minute and did not protect our hard-earned commission,” Klassen told PAX on Friday (Feb. 21).  

The bonus commission that was later offered that winter also unfairly benefitted agents outside of Saskatchewan, where options, at the time, were limited to none, Klassen added.

“When you are a travel agent in Saskatchewan, your options are very limited, as we only have Sunwing and WestJet Vacations as viable tour operators if clients want a direct flight,” she said.

PAX has contacted Sunwing for a comment on this subject and will post a response once we hear back.

While the pain of losing hard-earned income years ago remains, Klassen, nonetheless, “absolutely” views Sunwing’s latest decision as a positive move.

“It sets a precedent moving forward that commission protection on cancelled flights is a possibility and should be expected,” she said

A “proactive approach,” says ACTA

Shortly after PAX’s story ran yesterday, the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies and Travel Advisors (ACTA) acknowledged Sunwing’s decision to protect commissions on its LinkedIn page.

“This decision reflects a strong dedication to industry integrity and recognizes the exceptional contributions made by travel advisors,” ACTA wrote. “Travel advisors are integral to the travel ecosystem, expertly coordinating complex itineraries and consistently delivering exceptional client service.”

“Protecting their commission structure recognizes their diligent contributions and underscores the essential role they play in driving our sector's success. We appreciate Sunwing’s proactive approach and look forward to continued collaboration as we navigate the evolving travel landscape together.”

Difficult decisions

Offering an explanation for this week’s cancellations, Sunwing said it needed to prioritize the safe return of customers that were delayed in destinations due to recent weather disruptions (last weekend, Toronto endured more than 60 centimetres of snow), crew availability constraints and “extremely limited hotel capacity.”

“Making the difficult decision to cancel our Toronto southbound flights allows us to focus our full attention and resources on taking care of our delayed customers in destination," wrote Len Corrado, president of Sunwing Airlines, in a message to the trade yesterday. "While we never want to disrupt our customers' vacation plans, ensuring our guests currently in destination have proper accommodations and return home safely takes precedence. We understand the impact of these cancellations and appreciate our travel advisors and customers' patience as we work through these operational challenges."

Sunwing’s operations are expected to stabilize by today (Feb. 21).

In a message to the trade last night, Deana Murphy, Sunwing's vice president of trade sales and business development, said the travel advisor community is “essential to our success in making vacation dreams come true for our customers.”

“At Sunwing Vacations, we know how important our customers’ vacations are to them, and the invaluable role their travel advisors play,” Murphy said. "We want to express our deepest apologies for the inconvenience these cancellations have caused, and sincerely thank our valued travel advisors for the graciousness and support they’ve shown during this challenging time.”

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