Neil White was on his way home for the holidays when Monday’s snow and ice storm derailed his plans. With a stopover in Toronto from Ottawa, White was supposed to catch a connecting flight to Timmins at 9:30 p.m.

But with snow, sleet and wind pummeling the city, White’s flight was rescheduled for Tuesday morning. By the time his connecting flight had been rescheduled, it was after 10 p.m. and he was worried about how he’d find a place to stay for the night. According to Porter’s customer service plan, the airline is not responsible for providing accommodation if flight delays are “outside the control of Porter.”

“They said it’s a weather-related issue so we’re not giving you a hotel, we’re not giving you anything,” he said.

Still, the airline’s promises to “assist in accommodation at special rates at select hotels in close proximity to the airport.”

But White said all Porter customer service offered was a number to call to book a last-minute hotel, and he was concerned about the expense.

“I got to the point where I was like what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to stay on someone’s couch or go to a homeless shelter?”

White said the customer service representative then offered to give him numbers for homeless shelters.

“She went ahead and wrote them down for me. I thought it was a joke, but she was serious, she gave me the numbers,” he said.

A spokesperson from Porter refuted White’s claims. A representative of the airline said the passenger was “adversarial” and “verbally aggressive.” They claimed White requested the list of homeless shelters, which staff provided him alongside hotel distress rates.

“We do not issue this type of information under normal circumstances,” the spokesperson wrote via email. “This situation was exceptional and, unfortunately, provoked by the passenger.”

White said he understands the airline can’t afford to put everybody up for the night, but wishes they would have helped him more to help him get around the city.

“There’s a blizzard, you’re in a city you don’t know and then they’re handing you this list of numbers,” he said. “It would just be nice to have a more friendly relationship with them and have them offer some solutions that might actually be viable.”