Financial woes at PIA causing headaches for Canadian travellers

When he learned that Pakistan International Airlines is facing a cash crunch, Edmontonian Shakil Meenai's first instinct was to check the status of his domestic flight from Lahore to Karachi. Meenai, 60, has plans to travel to Pakistan, his home country, in mid-October, a trip he makes once a year. He decided to book with Pakistan's national carrier for his short trip between the two Pakistani cities. Without him being notified, Meenai's flight from Lahore to Karachi was cancelled and rebooked to a flight seven hours later. "This was done without my consent and without any sort of intimation to me," Meenai told CBC in an interview. "Other airlines, if the flight schedule changes by 10 or 15 minutes, even in those cases they give you a heads-up." Last month, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) began scaling back its operations as unpaid bills racked up and lessors moved to block the carrier from flying their aircraft unless it can catch up on overdue payments. The Pakistani government rejected the airline's request for an emergency bailout of about $100m. Instead, it directed the state-owned carrier to secure commercial bank loans, according to ch-aviation, a Swiss airline intelligence agency. This time of year is peak travel season for Canadians wanting to visit family and friends in Pakistan. Weather is generally favourable and it's also prime wedding season. But travellers say they're flocking to other airlines because they no longer see PIA as a reliable option. PIA does not fly out of Edmonton International Airport. The airline does offer direct flights to several Pakistani cities from Toronto's Pearson International. Meenai said cancellations, delays, high ticket prices and poor customer service are making people turn to other airlines. "The only people who fly internationally with PIA, especially from Canada, are those who are basically either not comfortable in transiting through other countries or our seniors," Meenai said.<br/>