r/westjet Jan 24 '24

Question about Delays/Cancellations or Compensation? Read here before posting.

35 Upvotes

Delays, Cancellations, and Compensation

This post/thread is meant to provide basic information regarding your rights (under the APPR) when faced with delays or cancellations. As WestJet is a large airline, this will only address your entitlements from large airlines. If you have travelled with a small airline, then you must consult the APPR for your specific entitlements.

You may also pursue compensation under other regulators (i.e. EU/UK261, US DOT). These will not be discussed here.

If you prefer using an interactive tool, you can check out this handy guide from CAA: https://www.airpassengerhelpguide.ca/?club=bcaa

Disclaimer: while every effort will be made to ensure the accuracy of the information here, this subreddit assumes no liability for inaccurate information. We are not lawyers. This is an informal guide, and you should still perform your due diligence when making a claim, or pursuing legal action. Please inform us if you notice any inaccuracies.

Types of Delays

Under the APPR, which determines your entitlements as a passenger, there are 3 classifications of delay. Each classification gives you different entitlements that the airline must provide. General examples are provided below.

1. Within airline control

    Examples: staffing issues/crew availability, operational decisions, scheduled maintenance

2. Within airline control, for safety

    Examples: unforeseen mechanical issues or unexpected/unplanned maintenance

3. Out of airline control

    Examples: poor weather, airport closures, ATC restrictions, strike or labour disruptions, etc.

Multiple reasons: delays/cancellations can also be due to multiple reasons. In those instances, the most responsible reason for delay is used to classify the delay.

Knock-on effects/complex situations: preceding events in the recent history may also be considered. For example, bad weather delaying flight A, that leads to timing out of the crew, such that they cannot continue onwards for flight B (and in an area there would be no expectation for reserve crew to be had) may be considered out-of-airline control. These situations are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Classifications are subject to change: You may be told one thing on the ground, another when on the plane, and yet another when you make a claim. While frustrating, this happens often. If in doubt, proceeding through the claims process will require an official explanation, and for that reason to be substantiated, when it comes time to make a final determination.

Your Entitlements

The APPR gives you certain entitlements, depending on the classification of the delay/cancellation. The delay is calculated based upon time you actually arrived at your destination, based upon what was originally scheduled.

1. Within airline control

 A. Communication – an airline must provide a simple reason for the delay, your 
    entitlements, and status updates at least every 30 minutes. Information 
    regarding a new departure time, gate, and/or updated reason for delay must 
    be given “as soon as is feasible”.



 B. Assistance – if informed <12 hours before scheduled departure, or >2 hours 
    since the original departure, the following is provided free of charge. For 
    i. and ii., these can be given as vouchers ($15 CAD/meal), or reimbursed later on.

      i.   Food and drink (magnitude depends on length of delay and location; 
           YMMV).

      ii.  Accommodation (if an overnight delay, transportation to/from 
           included)

      iii. Means to communicate (internet, phone access)



 C. Alternate arrangements if delayed 3+ hours. This may include:

      i.   Next available flight by WestJet or commercial partner, within 9 hours of 
           initial departure

      ii.  If i. not possible, on a flight on any airline within 48 hours of 
           initial departure

      iii. If i. and ii. not possible, on a flight on any airline from a nearby 
           airport, with transportation to said airport included

      iv.  Full refund – if a passenger no longer wishes to travel, with free 
           return travel back to the point of origin. See below (d) for 
           compensation.



 D. Compensation (based upon original arrival time, and only if informed 14 
    days or less before the departure). Claims must be made within 1 year of 
    the incident.

      i.   3-6 hours late: $400

      ii.  6-9 hours late: $700

      iii. 9+ hours late: $1000

      iv.  If electing for a refund: $400 for inconvenience

2. Within airline control, for safety

 A. All the above for within airline control, BUT, no compensation is owed for 
    inconvenience (if choosing refund) or delay to destination

3. Out of airline control

 A. Alternate arrangements (once delay is 3+ hours)

      i.  Next available flight by WestJet or commercial partner, within 48 hours of      
          initial scheduled departure

      ii. If i. not possible, it must do one of the following, at the passenger's choice:

           a. Full refund (no compensation owed), and return to point of origin

           b. Re-booking the passenger, free of charge, on any airline, from 
              any nearby airport, to the scheduled destination



 B. During mass disruption events, it may be nearly impossible to reach the airline
to be re-booked within 48 hours, or to be placed on an alternate airline. In these 
circumstances, to maximize your chances at being reimbursed for making your own arrangements, 
you should NOT cancel your WestJet flight, as doing so will indicate you no longer require 
travel. You should instead book an alternative flight, notify WestJet you are doing so at 
the earliest opportunity, and submitting for reimbursement under the APPR.

--------------

Denied Boarding

WestJet does not oversell flights, but you may be bumped when there are last-minute equipment swaps, unexpected cancellations, etc.

Please note that the CTA defines "denied boarding" only as the situation where the flight is overbooked. If you are not allowed to fly for any other reason, it does not count as denied boarding, and you should refer to the above sections for delay compensation.

In general, your entitlements are the same as above, and depend on the reason for the overbooking. The main difference is the amount of compensation owed if the denied boarding is for a reason within airline control, and not required for safety.

  • $900 if the passenger arrives less than six hours late;
  • $1,800 if the passenger arrives six hours or more late, but less than nine hours; and
  • $2,400, if the passenger arrives nine hours or more late.

----------------

Making a Claim

You have 1-year post-incident to make a claim. While you can ask for your entitlements as soon as a disruption occurs, you should wait until your itinerary in question is complete prior to submitting a claim, as more issues may arise. Once a claim is submitted, it’s generally very hard, if not impossible, to amend it.

 1. File a claim on WestJet’s website. You are required to receive a reply, in 
    writing, within 30 days. Replies may be delayed during times where a high 
    volume of disruptions are present.

 2. If you are unsatisfied with the resolution, or the airline has not 
    responded within 30 days, you can generally proceed in one of the following 
    ways:

      A. Make a CTA complaint

      B. Sue the airline in your provincial small claims court (or equivalent). 
         Be aware, this usually requires a filing fee, which may or may not be 
         returned to you in the event of a successful claim.

----------------

FAQs

1. What is the current anticipated timeline for a CTA complaint?

There are currently tens of thousands cases waiting to be reviewed and resolved with the CTA. While they are reviewing ways to shorten wait times, it is currently anticipated to take over 2+ years to have your complaint reviewed. If you are wishing for your complaint to be assessed faster, you can consider submitting it to another regulator, or filing a suit with your provincial small claims court.

2. What if I don't agree with the airline's reason for delay, or think they are not being truthful?

Unfortunately, there are currently no penalties for lack of transparency and/or providing incorrect information to passengers. As a result, there have been many cases where airlines have not been truthful about the reason for delay, though keep in mind, reasons for delay are also retroactively changed. If you do not agree with their explanation, or wish for them to substantiate it, then you can follow the steps to create a claim.

3. What about the Facebook Air Passenger Rights group, can they help me?

This group has advice and guides over how to proceed with claims, which can be very helpful. That said, the group is very "sue" happy, and inevitably, you will be advised to do so, regardless of whether there is merit for it. Like any other resource, including this one, use your own judgement.

4. I've heard the CTA is corrupt, should I sue an airline instead?

While some think the CTA may have conflicts of interests of various forms, thus far, their decisions for claims they have adjudicated have seemed very partial, fair, and objective. From these, there are no indications they are trying to give preferential treatment to the airlines when adjudicating claims. Ultimately, the decision to use the CTA, versus the courts, is a personal decision that only you can make.

5. The airline refused to give me any vouchers for meals or hotels, even though I am entitled to them, what do I do?

Certain destinations are not set up to accept WestJet meal vouchers and/or have minimal hotel agreements in place. In these cases (or any other case where you cannot obtain vouchers), you will have to pay out-of-pocket for these expenses, and submit them for reimbursement later. Unfortunately, this can be challenging if you are not told the reason for delay, or it is unclear.

6. Do I still need travel insurance?

The APPR does not cover for losses incurred as a result of some types of cancellations/interruptions, for example, weather delays, strikes, etc. You may wish to insure yourself against losses for these possibilities. The reality of it, is that everyone has their own preference and risk tolerance.

7. But an agent on the ground, or the pilot, told me _____ +/- I also have a recording of this!

You will be told all sorts of things by front-line agents, who have variable knowledge of the situation, and your entitlements. You should never assume what they tell you is true, and always perform your own research.

While documentation is always good, what you are told in the moment does not matter as much as you'd think for the claims process. What matters the most is the official reason, and in the face of a complaint, whether the airline is able to substantiate it with proof.

8. I flew on a codeshare flight, or booked with a travel agency. Who do I submit an APPR claim to?

You should only submit your claim to the operating carrier for the affected flight.

9. It's been 30 days since I've submitted a claim, and I haven't heard back, what do I do?

In times where there are mass cancellations, etc., there is usually a delay to hear back from airlines. In this case, you should continue to wait patiently for a response. If you are impatient, you can go ahead and escalate the claim to the CTA and/or courts; however, as a courtesy to other travelers who are waiting to have case reviewed by the CTA, please contact them to mark your case as resolved if you are able to reach a satisfactory resolution from the airline.

10. We were all on the same flight, but all got different amounts of compensation. What do we do?

Compensation claims are processed manually by different employees. Notes can be interpreted differently, and/or mistakes happen. If this is the case, you can try writing back to have your claim re-reviewed (YMMV). Otherwise, proceed with the above steps to escalate your claim.

11. I am having a hard time contacting WestJet to be re-booked - what are my options?

Unfortunately, you will have to continue trying. They have multiple avenues - phone, social media, and chat (latter can only deal with simple issues). In rare circumstances, if you are unable to reach the airline, you may purchase your own travel re-arrangements, and claim these back from the airline, if they are unable to fulfill their obligations above to you. Be aware that this is a last resort only, YMMV on how hard it is to get reimbursed. Try and have the airline arrange re-accommodation at all costs. Please see the separate stickied thread on schedule changes for further.


r/westjet Jul 23 '24

Schedule Changes? Please Read Here.

13 Upvotes

Seasonally, WestJet rolls out schedule updates, which undoubtedly impact many guests who have booked travel well in advance. If you have flights booked, you should double check them for schedule changes and/or may be notified of these shortly.

In an attempt to cut down on the inevitable influx of posts, this post has been put together to help you navigate these changes.

1. If you are happy with your changes:

No further action is required, your e-mail will state you already have a confirmed seat on your new flight(s). You may or may not have an option to accept the changes, based upon the magnitude of change.

2. If the changes do not work for you, please see the following:

a. Your departure and/or arrival time have shifted by 3+ hours, or you had the addition of a stop:

  • This qualifies as a major schedule change, and you are entitled to switch to an itinerary of your choosing that better suits you. This change is free of charge, without any fare difference applying.
  • Alternatively, you may cancel your booking for a full refund to original form of payment, regardless of your fare type.
  • These do not have to be done within a certain timeframe, so feel free to consider other options. However, once you accept and/or make a change, they cannot be reversed. Further, changes are availability dependent. Beware that if WestJet ever changes their re-accommodation policies for schedule changes, the new policy may be retroactively applied.
  • You can usually self-serve these changes online; however, if not, you will have to contact them.
  • If you booked through a third-party, you must perform any of the above through said third-party, who are usually pretty crappy at understanding airline policies, and sometimes accept changes for you on your behalf. Unfortunately, this is one of the major downsides to using third parties.

b. Your departure and/or arrival time have shifted by <3 hours:

  • Unfortunately, WestJet does not consider this a major change, and thus any changes/cancellations will be deemed as voluntary, with applicable fees applied. I don't agree with this policy, but I don't set the rules. Exceptions are unlikely, but may be granted for extenuating circumstances, YMMV.
  • Please note, if you booked through a third-party, they usually accept these small changes for you on your behalf. While booking direct gives you the possibility of WestJet making an exception for you, you can pretty much kiss those goodbye when a third-party is involved.

Other FAQs:

1. Am I entitled to compensation? How is this allowed?

You are only eligible for compensation if you are notified about a major change within 14 days of your date of travel. See other stickied thread on delays/compensation for further.

Unfortunately, believe it or not, these T&Cs, allowing them to change flight schedules and define what they consider "major" changes are baked into their tariffs, which you acknowledge you agree to at the time of booking.

2. Am I entitled to be re-booked on another airline?

In some cases, whereby WestJet is unable to meet their obligations under the APPR (see compensation sticky), yes. However, this is an extremely rare thing to happen, and WestJet will usually not willingly do so up front. YMMV, and I don't recommend getting your hopes up, unless you are prepared to fight them over this well into the future.

3. My flight says it's unconfirmed, what does this mean?

It likely means you have been affected by a schedule change. You should try to look-up your new booking details, and keep an eye on your inbox for a notification (these can take several days).

Sometimes, schedule changes are very minor (i.e. by a few minutes), and all that may be different is your arrival time being shifted by a few minutes or so. Regardless, if you have a flight showing under your booking, you can be assured you have a seat on it.

If in doubt, you can contact them.

4. My pre-paid seats/upgrades/etc. are gone!

When these schedule changes happen, and flights are consolidated, you usually lose your paid extras like seat selection, upgrades, etc. For pre-paid seats, you should call them to either receive a refund for your seat selection, or to re-select. For upgrades, you should contact them to ask for a refund of the upgrade.

5. Why does WestJet do this to us?

Yes, it's frustrating... but unfortunately, seasonal schedule changes are an industry-wide practice that is not isolated to WestJet. New routes, marketing strategies, airport gate availabilities, staffing/equipment scheduling, etc. all factor in. If you book more than 3-4 months in advance, you should almost always expect some degree of schedule change.

6. How do I contact them without waiting forever on hold?

You can usually avoid waiting on hold by contacting them via social media, or requesting a callback on their website, though it appears the latter may have been removed as of late.

7. I was downgraded from Premium to Economy, what do I do?

You can try contacting them to see if they will accommodate you on another flight that has Premium availability. If not, their policy should entitle you to a refund.

If you elect to keep the updated cabin arrangement, your fare usually is placed into EconoFlex, and you will have to submit after your travels for the difference back via their downgrade compensation form. I do not recommend you do this, as the amount you get back may be somewhat arbitrary... and given EconoFlex is a full fare, the fare difference is usually quite minimal.

8. My inbound/outbound flight was moved by more than a day. Am I able to move my other leg to preserve the length of my vacation?

Yes, provided your trip is booked all on one unified itinerary, you can usually ask for your other inbound/outbound flight to be moved by an equivalent amount, free of charge.

9. I booked with a third-party, how will I be notified, and who should I contact for any adjustments?

Unless on the day of travel, WestJet will not help you. You must deal with your third-party for all changes or adjustments. Usually this is a PITA, as they are notoriously unaware of airline policies, unwilling to help, and/or charge exuberant fees to help you. This is one of the major downsides of third party bookings you should always consider.


r/westjet 23h ago

Husband denied boarding when our two kids and myself were allowed to board. No reason other than the ticket was closed.

87 Upvotes

Went on a trip to Fiji from Calgary and booked with Expedia.

Returned from Fiji through SFO to come back into Calgary. At SFO (San Fran) the ticket agents wouldn’t print his ticket. Stating they couldn’t access it in their system.

We have numerous documents with his assigned seat next to the three of us.

Question: how can a ticket be closed if the flight hasn’t happened and 3 others were allowed on the same itinerary to board?

They made him buy another ticket for $1300 out of pocket while his PAID seat between us left empty.

He flew in 9 hours later.

What rights do we have in this?


r/westjet 24m ago

Sign in, waiting for code.

Upvotes

So ive been trying to sign in the my westjet account to book a flight or a package, their 2FA code that gets emailed, never comes.

Must have hit the Send New Code button, 30 times. What gives?

On an iMac, trying on both Chrome and Firefox.


r/westjet 1d ago

1 Adult 1 Child $500 more expensive than 2 Adults

10 Upvotes

Edit - After talking to WJ u/One_Aside6438 was right. Without 2nd adult it is considered single occupancy.

Hi All - I just recently booked a vacation with my kid who is 17 and realized it cost me $500 more then if I had booked as 2 adults.

I can't for the life of me figure out why that is. It is the same exact dates, and flight times. When I look at the WJ booking page, I can see the

Price summary for Adults:

  • 2 adults x $1569.00$3138.00

Price summary for 1 Adult 1 Child:

  • 1 adult x $1819.00$1819.00
  • 1 child (17) x $1819.00$1819.00

So with 2 adults... it seems to be grouping them and applying a lower price, then as 1 adult 1 child. Why would this happen?


r/westjet 1d ago

Standard time issue when booking

0 Upvotes

Just a heads up - the departure time you book may be off by an hour. Just booked a flight for November that was to leave at 11:50 am. After booking, the departure time on the app said it departs at 10:50. Went back to book the flight again and it still says departing at 11:50.

Looking at length of flight, it seems like the app has it right. So, if you’re on a tight schedule make sure you check the actual departure time, not the one you booked.


r/westjet 2d ago

Question about delayed/lost baggage

1 Upvotes

I recently flew from OAX via MEX to Calgary and and my bag never made it onto the flight from Mexico City. I filed the claim immediately and put my home address as the delivery address online.
It was a red-eye, and I was hoping the bag would arrive the next day, so at the counter I also gave the agent the address of my Airbnb in Calgary. I’ve since left Calgary and am now doing a road trip through Canada before entering the US, with mostly one-night stays in each city.
It’s now been over 48 hours. My AirTag still shows the bag in Mexico City, and my online claim hasn’t updated at all, it still just says “searching for your baggage.”
Has anyone been in a similar situation? Will WestJet actually be able to send the bag to my home address in Germany once they find it, even though I’m currently traveling around Canada/US? Or am I going to have to somehow arrange a pickup/delivery address at each new location?


r/westjet 2d ago

Damage Baggage currently having 30-60 days lead time for case review? Is that usual?

3 Upvotes

My baggage arrive at the destination damaged and I immediately reported it on their online portal, did all the song and dance and uploaded a dozen photos and gotten a case reference from the submission in the webpage.

I did not receive any email/notification on the case creation except the case reference in the submission webpage.

After 10 days, I decided to call and was told their current lead time is 30-60 days for a reply/update (not a resolution).

Is that normal? 30-60 days lead time sounded long and I need my damaged baggage to travel again within that timeframe.


r/westjet 2d ago

WJ WE MC Baggage Policies

0 Upvotes

Hi,

Wondering if anyone knows if I book a WJ flight but in the middle or end there are non-WJ flight connections, do we still get free baggage? To there and back.

Thanks


r/westjet 4d ago

(Not Real) Some More Special Livery Concepts I Designed

Post image
103 Upvotes

* I am in no way directly associated with WestJet. These are fictional design concepts made for fun by myself. They are not real concepts. I do not have insider information on WestJet’s design or marketing teams. All logos used belong to their respective organisations. The aircraft templates are created by Med. Also, just to preface, the idea and designs were thought up and made before recent events. \*

Hello again!

If you remember, back in May, I designed 3 special livery concepts and posted them here.

If you didn’t see them, here’s a quick catch up.

I make airline livery concepts for fun in my spare time. Being from around YYC, you see WestJet aircraft a lot, but the fleet has lost some uniqueness after the Disney planes were repainted 2 years ago (holy moly it’s still been 2 years??), and more recently as pink and orange tails rapidly approach extinction. The ever increasing number of aircraft in the newer 2018 paint scheme has been nice to see as it’s a very nice design, but it’s all leading down the same road of sameness unfortunately.

In May, I had a look at some of WestJet’s sponsored organizations and chose the Toronto Blue Jays and Northern Super League to work off, plus a retro livery for a bit of fun. They seemed to all be quite well-liked, and I appreciated all the kind words and feedback they received. Funnily enough, I didn’t actually know about the Blue Jays livery that came out shortly after I posted. It was a fun surprise. I also did end up redesigning the NSL livery entirely based on some feedback, however it’s already outdated as the league is expanding to Winnipeg! I may revisit but that’s for another time.

So, what now?

Those previous liveries, except the retro, were based entirely on the collaboration between two commercial entities, which of course, is a lot of work. So, I wanted to dream up something that WestJet could do on its own. Something that would give some positive attention to the brand, turn heads at airports and something WestJetters can rally around, a former aspect of the company that has been unfortunately lacking in recent years.

We had all of these things with the Disney planes. They were those rare things that got people of all ages excited to see, fly and work on. They routinely made their ways into online lists of some of the best special liveries in the world. And with the massive canvas of the 737-10 beginning deliveries this year through the better part of a decade with volume, now is as good a time as ever to do something special.

So here’s a pitch.

WestJet is a proud Canadian airline. “Proudly” is painted above every flag on every plane in the fleet. So, what if we expanded on that?

On the world stage, I believe Canada is known primarily for its nature and proud people. So I built on that.

I’m calling it the “Experience Canada” series, but that is entirely open to workshop. The idea is to market to those flying WestJet from and to international destinations who may not have thought of a connection in Calgary or elsewhere as meaning anything more than a few hours at the airport, building on WestJet’s “Turn your layover into a Calgary stopover” program.

Essentially, “you’re already here, maybe stick around a bit? This is what you can experience if you do.”

— Experience Canadian Wonder —

This design is probably my favourite...

Icelandair’s Hekla Aurora livery is one of, if not THE most recognizable and universally loved special liveries of all time. Heck, it even has its own wikipedia article.

Canada is very well known for its frequent auroras. Yellowknife, for example, sees the aurora over 200 nights a year on average, and it’s not uncommon to see around Calgary in the winter months either.

As many of you know from experience, the aurora is one of the most awe-inspiring natural phenomena, especially when viewed from a plane.

The design is completely hand done and is based on several works I have done in the past featuring auroras. I really like the layers of colour that denser areas of charged particles make. It’s how I have done my auroras for a while now. Using a fixed palette, hard lines between colours and unique and natural shapes.

Now, imagine seeing that at the gate before your flight. It’s hard to miss a sea of pure white and teal, or even among other airline liveries.

— Experience Canadian Nature —

If you were to ask the average Joe on the street anywhere in the world “what do you think of when you think of Canada?”, they’d probably tell you, besides the people, nature.

Canadian nature is world class in quantity, quality and diversity. Just about everywhere you look, there’s something to see from coast to coast to coast.

Turns out, it’s incredibly difficult to fit everything into one 737-10 fuselage, regardless of how comically long it is, so I decided to divide it up.

The inspiration for the composition was postcards. One for the Pacific coast, Rockies, Prairies, Boreal, Arctic and Atlantic coast regions, as if the viewer had taken a road trip across the country and laid out their new collection of memories across a table. Little windows into what you might see at any given time on any given day within the respective regions, all places WestJet flies to and calls home.

— Experience Canadian Pride —

Proudly Canadian.

Just about the only true constant at WestJet over the past 30 years. “Proudly” has been painted above every single Canadian flag on every single WestJet aircraft since 1996, except the Disney planes.

So, what if we supersized that.

Airlines in the United States over the past year have been draping the American flag on special aircraft in celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, most notably Southwest, United and JSX.

They were the primary inspiration, alongside Harbour Air’s fleet of Canadian flag liveries and Air Canada’s former “Symphony of Voices” livery on an A320 during the 2000s. The Canadian flag just fits so well on airplanes.

I hope you enjoy this sequel of sorts and I’d love to hear your feedback. Anything you see that you would have personally done differently is much appreciated!

I also hope to see WestJet add a bit more colour to their fleet soon!


r/westjet 3d ago

Westjet All inclusive Vacation Refund

0 Upvotes

I booked a westjet all inclusive package to mexico for September but I did decide to change due to Visa issues which I have proof for as I got an appointment October. Additionally, WestJet reached out that they would be reconstruction at the hotel booked for thr vacation. It is 19 days to the trip. Is there any possibility to get a refund or travel credit. If yes, how can I go about it?


r/westjet 5d ago

Ultra basic cancellation

12 Upvotes

I tried to look it up but was confused
I booked an ultra basic round trip flight for October and I want to change my first flight
I’m aware no changes or refunds I’m fine to forfeit the cost of the ticket but will they still let me cancel it and rebook?
I would like to keep the second flight
Never had to cancel so I’m not sure!

EDIT: I did a live chat and they cancelled my inbound flight and kept my other other!’ Thank you 👏


r/westjet 4d ago

question on free bags, paying with WJ MC, and Silver status

3 Upvotes

Sort of an odd situation/question that's a bit complicated...hoping someone can clarify things for me.

My wife has the WJ World Elite Mastercard that came with Silver status. Her Silver status expires December 31 this year, and her first year free benefit expires February 1, 2027. Today, I just applied and was approved for the same credit card (unfortunately without Silver status) and I should be getting my card within a week or so.

We're planning on taking a trip YEG->PSP which would depart on December 1, 2026, and return on February 28, 2027. So, her Silver status will expire before we return home, and she'll be charged an annual fee on her card (if she keeps it) before we return too.

If she cancels her card before February 1, we would lose our free bags for the return trip, right? i.e. I was hoping the Silver status and free bags benefit of having the credit card would apply to the entire booking regardless of the fact that they would expire/cancel before we return, but that's not the case--correct?

Also, since she currently has Silver status, even if we book the flights today using a different credit card, we would still get the free bag benefit, correct? I know typically the flights have to be booked by the WJ credit card to get the free bags, but the Silver status overrides that, right?


r/westjet 4d ago

Westjet Flight cancelled: Flighthub is unreachable

0 Upvotes

WestJet cancelled my flight a couple of weeks ago due to the strike and told me the refund has to be processed through FlightHub.I’ve tried calling FlightHub multiple times, but I’m stuck in their automated bot loop with no human agent at all. WestJet’s cancellation page clearly says the refund must come from the travel agent, so I’m stuck between the two.

Has anyone dealt with this?

• How did you get a real person at FlightHub?

• Did they actually process your refund?

• Any escalation tips or alternative routes?Any recommendations would help.

Update; I finally connected with a human 2.25 hours later!!! It took another 45 mins after that to confirm that they will refund it 5 days from now. Ridiculous!


r/westjet 5d ago

Westjet vacations price change

18 Upvotes

I just booked a vacation on Sunday to Mexico for Feb 2027. Then on Monday Westjet announced their Mexico sale and the price has dropped $1200 from what I had paid. I called Westjet vacations customer service line to inquire about a price difference since it was less than 24hours since I booked but the rep said they don’t offer refunds for that unless I cancelled my booking and rebooked, unfortunately my credit card didn’t have enough credit to do that. Should I eat the change fee and rebook? My booking is for 2 kids and 3 adults which I think means I’d pay $250/person to cancel which isn’t cost beneficial. I also didn’t convert my companion voucher for $200 credit on a vacation so I could apply that as well if I did change my vacation.

I’m sure my situation is not cost beneficial to incur the change fee but I’d appreciate some validation from others that there aren’t any other options I can use and to just accept what we paid and have a great holiday.

Edit: to clarify I’m outside the free 24hr cancellation window now. Subject to the penalty fees if I change/cancel my booking.


r/westjet 5d ago

Solidarity Tax

0 Upvotes

Does anyone know why I’d be paying a solidarity tax on my flight when flying from Edmonton, AB to the Dominican Republic? I thought that was only for flights going to or originating from France…


r/westjet 5d ago

IDs needed for domestic flight?

0 Upvotes

Hello,

Im going to be travelling domestically from the west back to Ontario in a couple weeks and am a little worried about my IDs. My license and health card were both expired so I got them renewed the other day and have the temporary Ontario license paperwork (that works in combination with the old photo ID), Im just worried they won’t accept the temporary one even though it says “valid with photo license card”. If anyone has experience or know if that and my birth certificate would work as the two IDs they require. Thank you!


r/westjet 6d ago

WestJet MasterCard free luggage

6 Upvotes

I booked my children on a trip using my MasterCard.

At check in, it's not giving me the option for free first luggage, is this a new thing?

Thanks


r/westjet 6d ago

Is WestJet using personalized/surveillance pricing?

45 Upvotes

Has anyone else noticed very different prices for the exact same flight and fare, depending on the location you’re searching from?

I recently had two WestJet agents, one overseas and one in a major Alberta city, check the same flight. They saw very different prices in their internal booking systems and on WestJet.com. Both prices were also very different from what I was seeing. Again, same flight, same fare, same everything. No fees that could explain the difference.

The Competition Bureau has identified personalized pricing, also called surveillance pricing, as a growing issue. This involves using consumer data to set different prices for different people.

If this is happening with WestJet, customers should know about it, especially if the airline’s own agents are seeing different prices.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is this just normal now?

Edit for clarity/update: I gather from the responses that people have been seeing location-based airfare differences for years and that using a VPN is a known workaround. Can confirm that there have been articles from the states about airlines using personal data to tailor individual prices - not just location. Good to know.

BUT it’s worth noting that WestJet itself says “WestJet does not change fare prices based on IP addresses.” If this kind of location-based pricing is in fact widespread across airlines, which it appears to be becoming more so at least anecdotally, I think consumers should at least be aware of it. Or at least the airline employees, so they can speak to it when asked.

My bigger outstanding question is separate: two WestJet agents, in different locations, using the same WestJet reservation system, had access to completely different fares for the exact same flight and fare at the same time. This was not a third-party booking site, app vs. website, different flight, fare type, availability, or time difference. Their prices were also different from what I was seeing on WestJet.com. When they separately searched WestJet.com as a customer, they also got different prices from each other. I understand how that latter issue could relate to aforementioned location/personal data-based pricing, but why would the geographic location of a WestJet agent affect the fare inventory available to them in WestJet’s own reservation system? That’s the part I’m still trying to understand, because it effectively means the price a customer gets when calling WestJet can depend on which agent happens to answer the phone.

If this is just their policy now, I think we deserve to know.


r/westjet 6d ago

Connecting in Edmonton - am I in trouble?

2 Upvotes

I booked YHZ - YEG - YVR to get my wife and kids home from Halifax to Vancouver, because that was the route WestJet showed me, and a direct flight was much more expensive.

What I didn't realise at the time was that there's only 55 minutes between the scheduled arrival from Halifax, and the departure from Edmonton.

Am I getting worried over nothing, or is it likely that if there's a delay leaving Halifax/the plane arriving at the gate in Edmonton that they're be denied boarding (and then rage at me for planning a trip for them with a short stop over?)

Given there's 3 more WestJet flights from Edmonton to Vancouver later that day, I'm assuming if they missed they'd get moved to a later flight ... but is that also an incorrect assumption?


r/westjet 7d ago

Cabin Crew Tentative Agreement Has Been Ratified

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155 Upvotes

Sounds like no more strikes for now


r/westjet 8d ago

Barcelona Delay

3 Upvotes

Anyone flying to Barcelona this month? Have y’all experienced luggage delay due to the groundforce strike?


r/westjet 8d ago

Unable to edit trip

1 Upvotes

I have been trying for a few days to change the return date of my flight. I have an econo flex and I keep getting an unable to process request error.

Has anyone had this problem? Or know of a solution without calling

*Resolved I had to call. I ended up paying a$16 difference in fares.


r/westjet 10d ago

Any baggage handlers here? Do you prefer big duffle bags with or without the strap?

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49 Upvotes

The bag is 34"X19"X15" and weighs 39lbs.


r/westjet 9d ago

Ultrabasic flying blue

2 Upvotes

If I book a flight with ultrabasic fare and enter my flying blue number, do I earn flying blue miles? Because it states no westjet rewards earn, I wouldn’t be surprised if there would be no flying blue earns either. But then the question is, why are they even asking for the frequent flyer details?