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“Extremely Disappointing Experience with WestJet: Poor Service and Unmet Obligations”
Review of WestJet


Reviewed 3 weeks ago

Review:
I had a deeply frustrating experience with WestJet that left me both disappointed and out of pocket. My original flight was cancelled by the airline and rebooked with a 23.5-hour layover in Kelowna, which caused significant disruption to my travel plans. This delay far exceeds the 9-hour threshold under Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), making WestJet responsible for providing care and compensation. However, no such care was offered, and I was left to cover expenses that were clearly WestJet's responsibility.

What Went Wrong:
Failure to Provide Care:
Despite the excessive layover, WestJet failed to offer hotel accommodations, transportation, or meals as required under the APPR. I incurred $358.26 in out-of-pocket expenses for a hotel stay, Uber rides, and food, none of which should have been my responsibility.

Dismissive Customer Service:
When I contacted WestJet to resolve the issue, I was met with unprofessional behaviour. Their representatives:

Mischaracterized the 23.5-hour layover as a "minor schedule change" despite it being a significant delay under the APPR.
Refused to provide written confirmation of their refusal to address my issue, preventing me from escalating effectively.
Displayed a lack of empathy, interrupted me repeatedly, and shifted responsibility to the third-party booking agency.
Circular Blame Game:
WestJet claimed that the third-party booking agency was responsible for resolving my issue, while the agency insisted that WestJet rejected my flight change request. This back-and-forth left me without any resolution.

Impact on My Trip:
This mishandling caused significant financial and emotional distress. I lost an entire day of travel, disrupted carefully planned commitments, and had to manage the additional stress of navigating an unnecessary layover with no support from the airline.

What I Requested:
I requested WestJet to:

Adjust my flight to eliminate the excessive layover by rebooking me on a flight departing at 12:45 PM from Vancouver, transiting in Calgary, and arriving in Paris at 12:30 PM—the original planned arrival time.
Reimburse my expenses:
Hotel: $242.14
Transportation: $41.12
Meals: $75.00
Total: $358.26
Provide $1,000 in compensation for the significant delay under the APPR.
What I Experienced Instead:
I was given impractical suggestions like waiting until 72 hours before my flight to resolve the issue, which added to my frustration. Their dismissive tone and unwillingness to take responsibility made an already difficult situation even worse.

Conclusion:
WestJet’s handling of this issue has been extremely disappointing. Their failure to meet their legal obligations under the APPR and the lack of professionalism from their customer service team have left me with no choice but to file a formal complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA).

As a frequent traveller, I expect better service from an airline I’ve trusted in the past. I hope WestJet addresses these systemic issues to prevent others from experiencing the same. Until then, I will hesitate to book with WestJet again and cannot recommend them to other travellers.

Date of travel: January 2025
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
    • Cleanliness
    • Food and Beverage
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
Thank megan b
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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87 - 91 of 18,764 reviews

Reviewed 4 weeks ago

Had multiple flights cancelled and no refunds or help given from staff. Lost hundreds of dollars from the cancelled flights causing me to miss other flights and hotel rooms that weren’t refundable and no support from westjet. Don’t think there’s a good airline left to fly with in Canada

Date of travel: January 2025
Thank Jack S
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 weeks ago

More than worthless call center, a phone app infested with bugs. Management must be really bad because most of the front line staff seem to hate their jobs. I wonder if WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech has a bet with Air Canada's CEO who can make the bottom of customer satisfaction lists and still make the most money. If you have a drivable destination and the only airline available is WestJet - DRIVE there.

Date of travel: January 2025
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
    • Cleanliness
    • Food and Beverage
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
1  Thank Navigate56813865839
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 weeks ago

Flight from Halifax to Toronto on Jan 15/2025 the 3 flight attendants were extremely rude to passengers, very snarky and all three had very bad attitudes. These three should be fired because nobody in customer service should demonstrate that much unprofessionalism

Date of travel: January 2025
    • Seat comfort
    • Customer service
    • Cleanliness
    • Food and Beverage
    • Legroom
    • In-flight Entertainment
    • Value for money
    • Check-in and boarding
Thank Mike G
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 weeks ago

Flight was cancelled for 3 days, was told to send in receipts for reimbursement. Not all was covered and nothing else offered as compensation after sent in two seperate forms as told. No response, no contact within 30 days and it’s now a year later and still nothing. My friends flight was delayed and was given a credit for WestJet. Worst experience ever!

Date of travel: February 2024
1  Thank jpcrossman
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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