WestJet offers mea culpa, takes steps to refund pandemic-related flight cancellations
Posted July 14, 2021 11:41 am.
Last Updated July 14, 2021 1:01 pm.
CALGARY – WestJet says it made a mistake when it refused to refund customer flights during the pandemic, offering only rebooking or credit instead.
In a statement to 660 NEWS, WestJet admits to giving incorrect or inconsistent information to its customers.
But the airline is now taking steps to offer those refunds to people if they want to collect them.
“For any WestJet-initiated schedule changes, where the schedule change was greater than 90 minutes or one or more stops were added, guests are eligible for a refund to original form of payment if desired,” reads a statement in part.
“We are in the process of actioning refunds for guests who have requested a refund and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused.”
The Calgary-based airline added it apologizes for any frustration this has caused.
WestJet says it is optimistic there will be fewer disruptions now, as restrictions ease and vaccinations rise.
“While we are seeing positive signs of recovery, our flight schedules are built many months in advance based on anticipated demand and we recognize this situation has been frustrating for some of our guests. As travel restrictions lift and vaccination rates rise, we are working diligently to predict the balance in demand and to support our guests’ needs.”
The Canadian Transport Agency says it’s gotten over 70 complaints from WestJet customers about refunds.
-with files from Steve Seto
