WestJet offered to rebook their Varadero vacation on Sunday — not the following day, but eight days later on
"My wife is Canadian military and needs to be back on base at CFB Comox on
One agent told her he was not allowed to book them on another airline, she said, adding that multiple representatives said the same.
They ended up scrapping the trip, a getaway the family had been looking forward to for months.
Watson was among thousands of WestJet customers whose flights were cancelled amid an extreme cold snap in
If a carrier has to call off a trip for reasons outside its control — severe weather, for example — Canada’s passenger rights charter requires it to rebook passengers on its own planes or those of a partner airline within 48 hours. If it can’t, it must put them on board “the next available flight that is operated by any carrier” to reach their destination.
The Canadian Press has spoken or emailed with more than two dozen passengers who say they were not rebooked within the prescribed time frame — many of them for WestJet trips scheduled this month, but others for flights over the past couple of years across several airlines.
“We understand how frustrating it is when travel doesn’t go as planned during extreme weather events and are committed to our guests and ensuring their safe and expedient journey,” spokeswoman
"We sincerely apologize to our guests who were impacted by the extreme weather events of the past week, but safety will always be our first priority," she said.
Kruger said the airline rebooks with a number of different carriers.
“WestJet books reaccommodation flights on partner and non-partner airlines during irregular operations for domestic and international flights in compliance with the (passenger rights charter) and in certain circumstances as a gesture of goodwill.”
Recordings of phone conversations between passengers and WestJet agents suggest that isn't always the case.
WestJet cancelled
Regula wound up booking a trip with
“It’s just not right," she said. "But I can see why people just give up. It’s exhausting.”
“There is an
“I'm unable to do interline stuff. I can only deal with WestJet,” he replied.
Asked about Armstrong and Regula's experiences, WestJet said it had forwarded their files to its guest team for review to ensure the airline's policies were properly applied.
Transport Minister
An overhaul of the passenger rights charter is underway, he noted, with stricter rules expected to take effect this year.
Some passengers said carriers informed them of a cancellation by email and that a message on rebooking options would follow — but it never actually landed in their inbox.
Even when it does, customers can spend hours waiting — on the phone or in person — to try for a different booking.
"After being on hold for over six hours, we were asked if we wished for a callback. We said yes, we would. They then scheduled their 'earliest possible callback,' which was for
Some customers, like Regula, simply rebook with another airline themselves and hope to reclaim the cost from the original carrier later. This requires filling out a form on the airline's website and waiting 30 days for a response. If it's denied, passengers can file a complaint with the
“I believe it’s very widespread, and it’s one of the prime examples of airlines blatantly sabotaging the (regulations) with complete impunity," he claimed.
To stress the regulations' intent, he pointed to a 2022 federal impact assessment stating "that large carriers will have to rebook the passenger on the next available flight of any carrier, including competitors."
Fines have shot up from a total of
But that tally is a drop in the sea of revenue that carriers earn each year —
The agency's enforcement team tracks complaints to scan for a pattern of contraventions, and looks to impose fines when it sees a problem as "systemic," said
"So far, we haven't found that yet," he said of rebooking violations.
The agency plans to ratchet up its maximum fines by a factor of 10 as part of upcoming regulatory reforms, Oommen said.
Over the past four years, the regulator has issued a total of
The two carriers are not the only targets of customer ire. Last week, a B.C.-based tour operator launched a
The airline offered to book the passengers of Wells Gray Tours three to five days after the cancellation, according to the filing. None of the allegations has been proven in court and
As for
“We couldn’t incur any more expenses," she said. “We have been trapped in
That flight too fell through. They finally touched down in
This report by The Canadian Press was first published
— With files from
Companies in this story: (TSX:AC)
© 2024 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved., source