WestJet Airlines
reviews and complaints

Re: Booking # HBYQVJ

The day before our departure from Kona our flights from YXS to YVR were cancelled and rebooked for a few days later. We managed to procure a vehicle to drive home as the hotel situation was very expensive in Vancouver over Christmas

Upon arriving at the airport our flight from KOA to YVR was cancelled and we were left with no place to stay at 9pm on the 22nd. We had to retain our vehicle and find hotels.

When we did leave Kona the next day there were at least 12 empty seats on the plane and hundreds of people still stranded in Kona wanting to be in that flight.

Upon arrival in YVR on the 24th we tried to see if we could get on flights but you told us not until the 28th so we drove home. There are four of us and the refund we have received wouldn’t cover one flight to Vancouver let alone four and all the gas/hotel/ car rentals. Our refund of 141.96 indicates that it is the refund we are getting for three people but not the fourth. However, this is not a reasonable amount to refund us for this flight let alone all the other inconveniences when we know you had empty seats on almost every plane. We had friends on the planes that were not full! Those empty seats can not be blamed on weather but inadequate organization. We expect better.

Lori

I have been denied a refund for a family trip to Orlando in 2020 cancelled due to COVID and would like this decision reversed. We had a family trip planned for July 2020 that we cancelled as the pandemic was announced and travel advisories began. I have filled out the WestJet refund request form 3 times and have been denied a refund each time. The reason given is that because there were no changes to our flight made by the airline before we cancelled the trip ourselves, we are not entitled to a refund. This should not matter - regardless of who cancelled the trip, we would not have been able to travel in July because of the pandemic. We knew that this would be the case, so we went ahead and cancelled. Rather than refunding us, our funds were put in a travel bank and we therefore cannot get a refund through our travel insurance.

We now have finally started planning the same trip for this year and the flights to and from St. John’s are terrible. We have over $1700 in a travel bank that we cannot use. A 22-hour return flight from Orlando, leaving us sitting in TO airport overnight is not something we can because of my husband’s Parkinson’s disease. He would not be able to handle that. Essentially, waiting in the airport for hours is not an option, the layover is not long enough to get a hotel room, and the flight that would give us the longest layover so we could get a hotel room cost $3000! WestJet has stated that they are pulling away from Atlantic Canada towards their western roots, so flights improving are not very likely. I feel like I am being robbed - a company pulls services away from the area and takes your money with it - that’s unacceptable.

We are simply trying to rebook our trip, but cannot do so because of changes made to the WestJet service in our area. The money is there for us to book with another airline that is offering reasonable flights, but WestJet will not refund it because of a simple loophole. This cancellation would have happened regardless, so we should be given a refund since the same flights, or at least reasonable flights are not available to take the same trip with WestJet that we cancelled. If WestJet cannot offer a reasonable service to our area, why should we be penalized? There are fewer and fewer flight options out of NL to destinations that we visit, so what happens if the airline pulls out completely? Will you just keep our money and leave us with nothing? We would like our money refunded so that we can book the family trip that we missed out on.

SUBJECT LINE: Customer ID STILYI – Cancelled Dec 24 2022

Further to your last correspondence on my cancelled flight, please note the following observations, questions and request for recompense.

Quick background: I was booked for passage on flight WS 3345 departing YLW at 0615 for YVR, with a connection to WS 2152 from YVR to PVR Mexico. I had booked a two-week vacation with my daughter, with pre-aid accommodation in Mexico awaiting our arrival. WS 3345 was cancelled 30 minutes prior to departure with no explanation. Instructions were to return home and await an email.

Before leaving the airport, I enquired at the WestJet desk about any possible rebooking of my flight, and was simply told “No.” After being out of pocket for the unexpected cab fare back to my home in Kelowna, I received no further communication from WestJet.

I immediately called your customer service centre, and after waiting on hold for four hours, my call was connected, and then I was immediately hung up on. I can’t describe how frustrating and infuriating this was.

After waiting all day and night on Christmas Eve with no answers or emails back from WestJet I decided to go back to the airport at 7:00am on Christmas morning to again inquire as to whether there would be any chance of getting us booked on a flight. Once again the answer was just a ‘NO’…no flights available, period.

Merry Christmas.

Finally, after no communication from your airline, I rebooked myself and my daughter, to try and salvage at least part of our vacation plan. The earliest flight I could get was one week after our original departure date, on December 31. The only seats available were in business class, so I assumed this unanticipated higher cost, again just to get us to Mexico so that our pre-paid two weeks’ accommodation would not be a total loss.

You informed me that I am ineligible for any compensation under APPR because:

the most significant reason for your flight disruption was due to crew availability due to factors outside the airline's control and was required for safety purposes.

I find this disingenuous, given that flight records which I have obtained document that WS 3345 was cancelled four out of the five days prior to my flight’s cancellation on December 24. This was not an isolated incident – and clearly it’s a staffing issue which was very much within your control, and could have been addressed at some point between December 19 and December 24.

Your own website states that where flights are canceled, you will:

Provide a confirmed reservation for no additional charge:

on the next available WestJet or WestJet Encore flight or on a flight operated by a non-WestJet airline, if the next available flight is traveling on a reasonable air route from the airport at which you are located to your original destination and departs within nine (9) hours of the originally scheduled departure time

OR

if a reservation cannot be confirmed as in the point above, we will provide a confirmed reservation for a flight operated by any airline travelling on any reasonable air route from the airport at which you are located to your original destination that departs within 48 hours of the originally scheduled departure time

OR

if a reservation cannot be confirmed as in the point above, we will provide transportation to another airport that is within a reasonable distance from the airport at which you are located and a confirmed reservation for a flight that is operated by another airline on any reasonable air route from that other airport to your original destination.

WestJet did none of these things for me and my daughter. All you have agreed to do is refund my costs for the initial booking STILYI – but you are offering zero recompense for my having to rebook MYSELF at a higher cost, in order to salvage at least part of our vacation.

This vacation had been planned since Jan. 2022. It was supposed to be a celebration for my daughter’s18th birthday, a gift for her graduation, that I didn’t have the chance to attend, a divorce and for many, many other emotional reasons these past 5yrs.

You failed to meet the commitment you make on your own website. You denied my claim to compensation which is clearly owed under the circumstances. I demand proper restitution, specifically reimbursement for the higher-cost rebooking (which, again, I HAD TO DO MYSELF BECAUSE YOU NEVER RESPONDED FURTHER) as well as compensation of at least $1,000 for each of us (myself and my daughter).

Also be aware that I have been in contact with a producer from CBC News Vancouver and their “Go Public” program about this matter. She says they are “extremely interested” in my story, as there were many complaints about WestJet cancellations over the holiday period and that my situation “truly captures” the frustration that so many of your customers experienced – and they want to know exactly how you respond.

I await your immediate response.

Yours truly,

Dana Johnstone

Ref #BCOOBF Westjet

Ref:#[protected] Expedia

Westjet flight #1184, YYZ to RSW, 10/4/2022, due to the hurricane, the airport at RSW (Fort Myers) was closed to all commercial flights. I have been requesting a credit from Expedia/Westjet, since beginning of November, Expedia has contacted Westjet regarding credit to no avail.

I have been unsuccessful in reaching an actual person at Westjet, as their customer service is computer driven.

Michael petgrave of Ajax, CA

Dec 21, 2022

5:27 pm EST

Verified customer

Broken suitcase was damaged during my flight with West jet

I travel to Jamaica with West jet on Dec 11 2022 after picking up my luggage 🧳 one was broken.

There was no one to help me service was not good at all.

So am making a claim for my broken suitcase. Reporting this problem with my broken suitcase service was not good at sll am very disappointed.

Flight ws2702

Toronto to montego Bay.

I have photos 📸 of my broken luggage 🧳

Desired outcome: To replace my luggage 🧳 or reimbursement

I REACH OUT THE WEST JET COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT AND NO RESPOND.

WE ARE IN FEBUARY 2 2023 FROM DECEMBER 12 2022 I HAVE TRYING AND NO AVAIL.

PLEASE I NEED TO PURCHAE ANOTHER SUITCASE AND I NEED MY MONEY BACK TO DO SO. THIS IS NOT COOL TO RECEIVE THIS KIND OF TREATMENT FROM THIS BIG AIRLINE.

WAITING TO HER FROM WEST JET

MICHAEL PETGRAVE

I was flying from Ottawa to Comox with a connection in Calgary. When I got to Calgary, they told us our flight was cancelled. My flight and ONE other westjet flight were cancelled. No other flights were cancelled, not even any other flights to Comox. They told us it was due to weather but the weather in comox was perfectly clear (my family that was in Comox waiting for me told me this) and the weather in Calgary was a bit foggy but within the allowable range for flying (I googled it). And the fog didn't seem to bother any other airlines or other pilots. It was just my flight and one other westjet flight. An employee at the airport told us that we could either wait for westjet to rebook us, which would take 48 hours or we could book a new flight with another airline and if we chose to do that, we were told they would refund us. A westjet employee told us we would be refunded if we chose to book with another airline. So I rebooked my flight with another airline for the next day so I could get to my family, thinking I would at least be refunded for my second flight. I submitted a reimbursement form. They denied me a refund because weather is out of westjets control, but the weather was not an issue. Dozens of other flights left that night, some leaving within an hour of the time my flight was supposed to leave, left and had no problems. The weather was not the problem, westjet was.

On Jan 28,2023, we left Jardine Airport, Cayo Coco, Cuba. CCO to YYZ. Flight #2505 leaving at 13:50 pm. My husband left his coffee mug at the airport. We were the first to board as I have a physical handicap. He realized his cup was missing and asked if he could go back and get it. He was not allowed even though the plane was still boarding passengers. Have you ever seen a senior almost in tears. The mug was a Christmas present from our granddaughter. It is a thermos mug, red with a black lid. It is round. Approximately 4 inches in diameter at the top and 6 inches at the bottom and 7 inches high. It has a handle. On one side there is a black outline of a little girl with long pigtails and a little boy, in stick figure beside her. On the other side is written, also in black, the words " My favorite person is my POPA. (May not be exact words). I know it would be a miracle to get it back.. He is heartbroken over losing it, but is there anyway your staff could try. You have no idea how much he would love to find it. We have seen on TV where you have found missing items and been able to return to there owners (mostly children). PLEASE HELP

I was booked on a premium seat from Calgary to Victoria on January 26, 2023. I had flown from Montreal to Calgary and we had a layover of about 3 hours which I spent sitting at my departing gate.
Without any noticed, my seat was changed from 2A to 1C and given a new boarding pass while boarding.

Seat 1C is a suboptimal aisle seat that I would never select due to my size and medical disabilities. I was not given any options about this change.
I always pay extra to both select a window seat and a seat that my legs can be stretched due to both knee injuries. I was unable to extend my left leg and had to constantly move my right leg to be able to extend it which in the main aisle. I had significant discomfort during the flight and after as a result.

I can submit proof that my original ticket was seat 2A and not 1C, that despite the agent taking away my original boarding pass.
I had selected my seat long before this flight, something I always do to avoid unnecessary pain/discomfort.

Westjet treated me (a person with disabilities) with such poor professionalism and not having given me the options to discuss my needs during a seat change. I would also like to have a refund for the portion of the premium seat extra that I paid from the economy to both have proper leg room and seat selection, both of which were taken away from me.

Flight number 197, 26 January 23

Our flight itinerary on Dec. 23, 2022 was to fly from Winnipeg to Melbourne, Australia with stops in Calgary and Los Angeles. We were very excited to be able to spend Christmas with our son, our daughter-in-law, and our three small grandchildren. Unfortunately, Westjet cancelled our flights and we were unable to be with our family on Christmas Day. Below is the chronology (and frustration) of our Westjet experience:

The notification from Westjet arrived by email on the morning of Dec. 23 and indicated that there was a change in our flights. We couldn't see this change until we clicked on the 'Accept change' tab. When we did this and opened up the 'new' itinerary' it was exactly the same as the itinerary we had booked. The email instructed us to call the Westjet customer service. We called to find out why we were sent this notice and what the changes were to our itinerary, We were on hold for more than a couple hours before we gave up. In the meantime we had called our booking agent, Expedia, where we found that the first flight of our itinerary was delayed from 12 noon to 1:30 PM. Expedia tried to contact Westjet to rebook. We hoped that we could still get to Calgary to make our connection. Expedia was told by Westjet that they cancelled our entire itinerary and it was up to us to rebook. We rebooked on another airline for travel on Dec. 29 to Australia. We missed watching our grandchildren's Christmas celebration.

Our flights were cancelled without any pertinent communication from Westjet, and we had to rebook new flights ourselves, with no help or guidance from Westjet. Both of these issues are contrary to the regulations outlined in the Air Passenger Protection Regulations.

November 02,2022 flight # WS3306 12:43 we were charged $42.00 for checked luggage that we prepaid for on our return trip Reservation was made on October 13, 2022 Reservation Code THKYDG issuing agent Wes/GQF I needed a isle seat as i have limited movement on my right knee. We paid the same price both ways on the return we were asked to pay again for our checked luggage by the check in agent he mentioned that there was a problem but he had to charge gave us a form to fill out & mail in what was done the very next day. I had a call back from west jet a bout 3 weeks later stating it just had to be finalized. Now it is impossible to phone and talk to some one because of you system would you pleas get this settled up and get me my refund.

Dennis Green

Box 8 Site 7 RR 1

Rocky Mountain House

Alberta T4T 2A1

email [protected]@mountainlakes.ca

phone [protected]

Thank you I remain

Westjet put our refund for covid in their Travelbank. We didn't agree with that but at the beginning of the pandemic everybody was asked to give the airlines some slack. So we did, but now it seems impossible to get our money back out of the Travelbank. And even worse, our credit will expire in march 2023. We can extend our credit but than we have to pay a fee. Westjet also has the nerve to say that out of courtesy we have to pay a lower fee.

What is wrong with this airline?

I traveled to South Africa from Halifax on November 28, 2022. On my return trip back to Halifax on December 20/21, 2022 I encountered some issues with WestJet on my final flight from Toronto Pearson airport to Halifax airport. My flight was scheduled to leave from Pearson airport at 19:40 on December 21, 2022. During the afternoon the flight was delayed first to 21:40, then 22:40 and eventually midnight. They announced that the delay was due to our pilot not making it out of Vancouver due to bad weather. They announced that another pilot was being routed to Toronto to fly the plane. Around midnight they boarded us as the arrival of the pilot was imminent. Around 01:00 on December 22, 2022 they announced that the pilot had reached his duty time and that they are bringing in a new pilot which will be ready to fly at 02:45. At this point they deplaned us and we waited to be re-boarded. Around 02:30 they announced the pilot had arrived and had decided to cancel the flight. We were told to find hotel rooms and wait for an email in about five hours that will give us new flight details. We were also told that as the cancellation was within the airline’s control that we would be entitled to the benefits under the passenger rules (hotel accommodation, food, transport and $1,000 due to the cancellation time).

It took about 1 ½ hours for our luggage to come back out and I made my way to the Element Toronto Airport Hotel, I eventually checked in at 04:32. At about 07:30 I had not heard anything from WestJet and called Expedia to ask for help getting rebooked. Eventually around 10:30 Expedia rebooked me on a flight with WestJet for 21:40 on December 22, 2022. I arrived back at the airport at 18:15 for check in. Around 19:00 they announced that the flight would be delayed to 22:40. Around 21:00 they announced that the flight would be further delayed to 01:00 on December 23, 2022. Around 01:00 they announced that the flight had been cancelled and that we should find hotels and that we will be rebooked within 1 hour. This time there was no reason given for the cancellation.

During this time a winter storm was approaching Ontario which was due to hit the city on December 23, 2022. I also then received a new itinerary from WestJet that I had been rebooked to a 22:05 flight on December 25, 2022. At this point I rebooked a flight with Porter Airlines for 08:30 on December 23, 2023 from Billy Bishop airport in Toronto. As Billy Bishop airport was going to open at 05:00 I decided to spend about 2 ½ hours at Pearson airport and not find a hotel. I eventually got the flight and made my way home around 15:00 on December 23, 2022.

I instructed WestJet to cancel my flight for December 25, 2022, but by December 25 this had not happened yet. I then received an email from WestJet at 21:00 on December 25, 2022 that the flight I had been booked on was cancelled again. On December 25, 2022 I received another email with a rebooked flight for December 30, 2022 at 15:40. This would have been 10 days from the originally scheduled flight.

During the ordeal I incurred the cost of the replacement flight with Porter Airlines and some hotel accommodation, meals and taxi fare from Pearson airport to Billy Bishop airport.

On January 22, 2023 I received an email from WestJet stating that the cancellation was not in their control and that I would not be entitled to any compensation. They offered nothing for accommodation, food, transport or the cancellation of the flight eventually. They are basically washing their hands of the situation even though there is a clear trail that they could not get me home in 10 days after my scheduled flight. I am hard pressed to believe that three cancelled flights later that they still had no control over the situation. This feels like a slap in the face after they left us sleeping on floors in the airport and without food and accommodation.

purchased ticket for my daughter for 9 Apr, she is arriving vancouver from london uk 1850pm on that date..an earlier flight by you is $160 on the same day..why is your evening flight $475..for a mere 25 minutes flight ?.. it cost me less for her london to vancouver flight...I feel this difference in price ($315) can only be described as price gouging or sheer profiteering..please explain the large difference in price to me before I involve the media'''

It is only now, five months later, that I have the courage and energy to recall and file an official complaint.

I was denied access to my WestJet flight WS35, Ticket # 838-[protected], departing Dublin to Toronto on Aug 8th, 2022.

While I was already registered with Arrivecan, I had changed my flight return date. I was exhausted after coming off an 18 hrs flight and airport delay in Istanbul and forgot to complete my Arrivecan info online the night before.

At the airport, I was reprimanded sternly by the WestJet Priority Check-In Clerk for not doing so. I apologized and quickly found my iPhone and tried to access the Arrivecan site. There was no access. The loading icon kept spinning. (throbbed). I turned off my phone, re-tried and still could not access the site. After multiple attempts, I returned to the check-in counter, showed them the problem I was having, offered my paper copies of my vaccines and was again reprimanded and told that if I had done this the night before, there would be no problem.

Again I was told that by law, they could not check me in. This is in fact not true. I could have taken the flight, risked a $5000.00 fine, and at Pearson I am quite sure the Customs & Border Patrol Agency would have been much more understanding and considerate. I asked to speak with a supervisor or a WestJet representative (for which I got Rolling Eyes). I was informed my only option was to call Calgary. Even with the time difference, I tried. There was, of course, no answer. So no help from Head Office, definitely no help at the check-in counter and no help at the Airport. My flight left without me.

I am not a child! I am mentally competent! I was not suffering from the effects of any mind-altering medications!, but I was now in complete shock! How could this have happened? To lose a flight we paid our hard earned $'s for! To be denied entry to their plane because someone was ill-informed or was having a bad day was absolutely unbelievable. I have travelled often, though never with WestJet.

I went directly to the information desk and asked where I could find another flight. There was none available. I rebooked into my hotel and went about letting my husband and children know what had happened and finding an alternate way home.

I returned on a flight from Kona to Vancouver on 28 Dec 22. When we arrived home, I noticed that my bag had been ripped open along the seam. It is not usable in that condition, but may be repairable.
I tried to submit an on-line claim a couple of days later. After plodding through the process, submitting all the documentations, taking all the photos, etc. I pressed the submission button. It then came back with a request for more information but there was no way to enter it, so I gave up in frustration. It said to call a West Jet representative, but gave no contact information.

This was coincident with the massive disruptions and baggage problems following Christmas 2022, so I decided to wait a few days and try again. However, the system will not now accept my flight date (over 5 days old) nor my baggage tag info so I am hooped.
The bag was new and on its second trip. Original cost $204. All receipts and flight information available.
The system will not respond and it is virtually impossible to contact a human being at West Jet to get assistance in this matter.

On January 11, 2023 we left the Toronto airport flying to Calgary WS 661 with a connecting flight to Comox WS3335 Prior to this flight I called a West Jet agent to inquire about transporting 17 bottles of methadone and other medication as we were going to live in Comox permanently

I was advised by the agent that this amount of liquid would have to go in our checked luggage. I purchased another baggage ticket costing me $60+ online before boarding. This would mean we would have three pieces of baggage plus transporting our dog. Upon arriving in Comox we were minus this piece of luggage. The amount of stress and anxiety this caused was extremely nerve shattering as this is a controlled narcotic and all medication in this bag is not only required on a daily bases but is a must as there are repercussions if it is not taken at the same time daily. Several hours were spent speaking with agents trying to track this baggage and we never understood WHY no one was able to tell us where it was. This is the reason you check baggage to get a number allowing the airlines to track a baggage. We were finally able to locate this baggage at 16:00 on January 12th when we received a call from the Comox airport letting us know it was there. At the same time was done was 3hrs waiting on the phone at which time he was advised the baggage was left in Calgary. This should not happen. our baggage should have followed us as we were taking a connecting flight and we should have not been penalized because this plane was to full and there was an announcement requesting travellers to check their carry ons which resulted in ours not making it and another gentleman’s cooler full of moose meat and his baggage

We have all information with regards to agents we spoke to
Kindest regards
Susan Gilchrist
[protected]
[protected]@hotmail.com

Date and time of the incident: December 17.
Our family of three were booked airline tickets to Nassau (Bahamas), leaving from Ottawa (Ontario).

We were supposed to fly on December 17, 2022 from Ottawa (Ontario) at 6am to Toronto and from Toronto to Nassau. Our flight was delayed from 6am to 8:20 am, and then delayed again to 10:15am. We arrived in Toronto around 11:15am, but missed our connection to Nassau.

WestJet helpdesk customer service in Toronto airport was rude and was not able to provide us with alternative flights. We were in Toronto from 11:15am, till 5:55pm, when West Jet propose us to fly us back to Ottawa and said that we will be fully reimbursed for the airplane tickets.

We had accommodation booked in Nassau for December 17-24, but since we never made it to Nassau, the value of the accommodation is lost.
We are now out of pocket for the airline tickets and the accommodation and it is not our fault.

Although we were told in Toronto by WestJet representative supervisor that we will be reimbursed, the airline now refuses to refund us or to give us a credit for the trip we never made it to.

Booking AYNXBF on our connecting flight Calgary to Vancouver (WS993) on December 31 we were told that we had been allocated other seats and not the exit seats we had paid for. The WestJet staff at the gate could not offer any explanation as to why this had happened and instructed my wife and I to talk to one of the cabin crew as there was a number of seats unoccupied together (which was amusing as we had already been told the flight was full). We boarded the plane and spoke to a female member of the cabin staff who was not helpful and said there was no seats together. We were given seats 5c and 19d at the opposite sides of the plane. I could see that the exit seats at row 13 a & b were unoccupied until the same member of cabin staff said to one passenger would you like to sit here and he occupied seat 13a.

As I have said we were told many times the flight was full. Two exit seats 13b & 14b were empty during the flight as were a number of other seats which would have made it possible for my wife and I to be seated together. My contact details are email [protected]@hotmail.ca, home landline [protected]

I had an all inclusive vacation package, from Halifax to Puerto Plata on the 21, of Dec,2022. When I arrived at the airport, in Halifax, my flight was canceled. There were no other flights available. My flight number was WS243, on Dec 21, departing Halifax at 6 am. Never got an email, or call. I. am 67 years old and don't know a lot about computers. All I am asking, is someone to call me. I have been in touch with my mp, and transport Canada. I don't even know why the flight was canceled. I paid 6000.00 for this vacation, and haven't heard a word from west jet. I am hoping someone can call mesas, I don't know a lot about computers. Armand Arsenault, phone number,[protected], [protected]@icloud.com

On January 9th, 2023 I wanted to. book a vacation to Vh Gran Ventana, Puerto Plata, Dominican for $1634.00 x two people. I was not sure how to use my West Jet dollars so I phoned West Jet. I followed your telephone procedures and some one was to call me back that afternoon (I forget the exact time). Unfortunately no one called. I called again on January 11th and did get a call back. The person I spoke to said the vacation would now cost me $1853.00 each and could not reduce the price to what was listed for Monday. If I would have got a call back Monday I would have booked the vacation. Why did I not get a call back Monday? Why can you not honor the Monday price? It is not my fault West Jet did not call me back and I do not feel I should pay the extra $438.00 because yours system failed to do what it said it would do. Did someone not call me back knowing the price was increasing and hoping I would pay $438.00 more. Please respond ASAP. [protected]@sympatico.ca.