Over the past 12 months, many of us will have had to cancel travel plans due to the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines have endeavored to take a lenient, flexible approach towards cancellations in the circumstances. However, passengers haven't always been able to get all of their money back. As such, Canadian carrier OWG is giving passengers the chance to win back their lost deposits.
Open to anyone with a cancellation story
According to the airline, anyone who has had to cancel travel plans and lost their deposit due to coronavirus can apply for the promotion. All they have to do is fill in a form on OWG's website detailing their cancellation story. Once a week, OWG will then select the story it deems most worthy of having the deposit returned for.
The winning passenger will have the option of either cash reimbursement or having the sum put towards a voucher for future travel with the airline. OWG reportedly plans to have employees personally deliver the sum to the lucky winners.
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Winning back lost deposits
Particularly during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, reimbursement from airlines was hard to come by. This was because government assistance was not always immediately available. In turn, this meant that carriers could not necessarily afford to grant passengers the refunds to which they were entitled due to the pandemic's cancellations.
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A loss of trust in airlines may have arisen among some passengers under these circumstances. As such, OWG's President, Marco Prud'Homme, hopes that the promotion will win the hearts of short-changed travelers. He stated:
"Currently, thousands of travelers have fallen out of love with their traditional transporters. This promotion is our way to tell them that our heart is open and that there is always a local Québec based alternative for those who like to travel."
All about OWG
OWG is a division of Canadian charter airline Nolinor Aviation, whose name stands for 'Off We Go.' Last July, Nolinor hinted on social media that it would be launching a new brand. Shortly afterward, it confirmed that OWG would be targeting southern leisure destinations. The new airline planned to fly directly to Cuba from November, in partnership with Hola Sun Holidays.
However, the launch date, in reality, turned out to be in mid-December. These flights represented a stark contrast to Nolinor's typical flights, which often serve remote airports with ice and gravel runways in northern Canada.
According to Planespotters.net, OWG operates two 30-year-old all-economy 158-seat Boeing 737-400s. A third 31-year-old example is awaiting entry to service with OWG, having been in storage at Montréal–Mirabel Airport (YMX) for over a year. Interestingly, Nolinor has installed the world's lightest seats on these three aircraft.
What do you make of OWG's deposit offer? Have you flown with the airline, or its parent company Nolinor Aviation? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!