Traveller describes hours of delays at YVR during thunderstorm

A traveller arriving at Vancouver International Airport during the weekend thunderstorm says lightning and heavy rain led to hours of delays on the ground and in the terminal.

Joshua Laplap’s Air Canada flight from Toronto landed shortly after 12:40 a.m. Sunday. He said the descent was turbulent and passengers were told a lightning-related ground stop meant there was no ground crew available to assist aircraft at the gate.

Laplap said his plane was among those waiting to deplane and that the delay stretched from an expected short wait to about two hours. By the time he entered the terminal, he said it was unusually crowded, with people sleeping on the floor after flights were delayed or unable to leave.

The baggage area was also congested, he said, with few carousels operating and some passengers told their luggage would be delivered later. Laplap was picked up at about 4:45 a.m. and said he heard some travellers had been stuck on the tarmac for five or six hours.