Travelers expressed disappointment this week with WestJet’s treatment of them after the airline canceled more than 1,200 flights due to a strike by aircraft mechanics.
Messages and social media posts from some of the more than 150,000 affected passengers expressed their anger at spending hours on hold for customer service, at being denied rebooking by the airline on other airlines, and at being told “fees may apply” when flights were cancelled.
Tina McIntosh was planning to fly from Brandon, Man., to Kelowna, BC, last Sunday after her great-grandmother’s funeral. At 10 p.m. the day before departure, she learned the flight was cancelled.
Her partner’s flight was rebooked for three days after the original departure time, while reservations for her and her daughter were “just completely canceled,” leaving the two stranded in Brandon.
After being on hold for 17 hours over the weekend — they never made contact with customer service — the family rented a car, drove two and a half hours to Winnipeg, stayed in a hotel and booked a new flight for Monday, McIntosh said, calling the experience a “fiasco.” She said the additional costs totaled $2,438.
“It’s been hell, going to a funeral and dealing with all of this. I’m exhausted.”
WestJet has repeatedly apologized to its customers and stated that it would offer them a refund in accordance with the country’s Air Passenger Rights Charter if a rebooking is not possible within 48 hours.
However, passenger protection rules also require airlines to rebook their passengers on “the next available flight” of any airline, including competitors, within 48 hours if they refuse a refund – a choice the airline says it did not give them.
“WestJet was unavailable during the cancellations last weekend and we had to pay $1,400 out of pocket to fly back from Toronto to Calgary,” said customer Patrick Socha.
“We may have to take them to Alberta Small Claims Court to get a refund.”
WestJet also stated that the rules do not provide compensation for hotels and meals when the airline has no control over travel disruptions, such as a strike.
Air passenger rights lawyer Gabor Lukacs says travelers are entitled to reimbursement for flights booked with a competitor and, for international travel, hotel, meal and other costs. He cites the Montreal Convention, a multilateral agreement on compensation for air travelers.
He also said that the obligation to rebook lies with the airlines.
“It is absolutely clear that there is no need to chase the airline,” said Lukacs.
“This is a clear obligation and WestJet systematically refuses to comply with it,” he claimed.
WestJet says it has done everything in its power to transform operations and help travelers.
“Our teams at WestJet are working diligently to assist all affected guests as quickly as possible,” spokeswoman Madison Kruger said in an email.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2024.
Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press
