Flying Westjet? Check your flights!

[nat1234]

After reading these posts about Westjet changing flights, I decided to check mine. I have a flight booked from LAX to Toronto on Dec 11th, that’s been changed from a nice direct flight home to a flight that leaves 5 hours later with a stop in Vancouver that will get us to Toronto at 6 in the morning the next day. Like others, no email or notice that there was a change. I’m just glad that I gave us a day buffer before I have to go back to work. There’s still three months that they can ”play” with our flights. Very frustrating.

 

[badiggio]

After reading these posts about Westjet changing flights, I decided to check mine. I have a flight booked from LAX to Toronto on Dec 11th, that’s been changed from a nice direct flight home to a flight that leaves 5 hours later with a stop in Vancouver that will get us to Toronto at 6 in the morning the next day. Like others, no email or notice that there was a change. I’m just glad that I gave us a day buffer before I have to go back to work. There’s still three months that they can ”play” with our flights. Very frustrating.

You do realize that you would've done customs at home with your 'nice direct flight home",but now you'll have to do customs in Vancouver.Hope you have enough time to catch your connection.I'd be on the phone

 

[Lori Williamson]

Just checked my Nov 10-14 yvr to lax and both flights have changed, we have basically lost the entire day on the 10th now, so pissed off! So what are my options now, do I have to use my "free change" to modify these because of THEM changing them??????????????

 

[Lydia S]

Just checked my Nov 29 from YYZ to MCO as well as my return flight from MCO back to YYZ. BOTH were changed without notification. My outgoing flight leaves 2+ hours later, and my return flight comes back 7 hours earlier!

Really upset about our return flight, as I had added an extra day of tickets expecting to leave the parks at 3 for an 8PM flight.

How is this OK for them to do this without telling people? I wonder if (in the event that I cancel the trip completely) they will give a full refund or only a credit? Looks like both flights were cancelled on their end.

 

[damo]

The Westjet website now says ...

For any WestJet-initiated cancelation or schedule change, 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.

Due to the volume of requests during this time, we regret we are unable to provide refunds through the contact centre. 


There is a cancellation portal now.... https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/travel-info/covid-refund-form

Frustrating thing is that the prices on Air Canada have gone up as well, so you end up spending more anyways.

 

[bookbabe626]

Just checked my Nov 10-14 yvr to lax and both flights have changed, we have basically lost the entire day on the 10th now, so pissed off! So what are my options now, do I have to use my "free change" to modify these because of THEM changing them??????????????

No, the change by them should result in the ability for you to change for free without using up your one free change.

We had that happen once to our benefit. We needed to change the return date on a flight, and because it had changed on their end (flight number change or 5 min difference or something irrelevant like that) we weren’t charged for the change even though we’d already used up our free change.

 

[tlcdoula]

I have definitely confirmed that I do need a vacation. I just went to peek at flights and when they changed mine it wasn't the same day its the next day!!!!

Now my options are to add another day to stay at Disney or to come home to Vancouver and spend the night in a hotel there before flying home. Staying another night seems like a no brainer but we won't have park tickets for the extra day. Soooooooooo

 

[Lori Williamson]

Thing is it worth it finding new flights? Only to have maybe them changing it again? ugh

 

[damo]

Thing is it worth it finding new flights? Only to have maybe them changing it again? ugh

That is our concern exactly. They moved our flight to the next day but I don't trust that they won't cancel that one too and by that time there won't be any reasonably priced options.

 

[tlcdoula]

Thing is it worth it finding new flights? Only to have maybe them changing it again? ugh

Exactly, I don't know what to do. My brain hurts from all of this. I keep thinking I should just cancel but I don't want to!!!!

 

[taniapacheco]

Not Disney related but when westjet changed my flights to go see my mother. The changes didn't work for me. I tried phoning got hung up on after 3 hours waiting. Got a call back and sorry to say the girl was quite a B that I spoke with. She was going to charge me to change my flights so they were more reasonable after westjet changed them on me . Not my usual interaction with Westjet. Went on the facebook messenger for West jet and followed the prompts and a real person answered me. I explained what happened and the flights I wanted because of their change and she changed them for me over messenger said my email would come shortly, checked to make sure it was all correct. Went back on said thank you and she said you are very welcome and we ended our interaction. Pain in the butt yes, wasted parts of my day ,had to have my phone on me at work which is a no no for a call back that didn't end up working for me. Then a a facebook conversation that finally worked for me.

Frustrating for sure. I'm sure they are swamped but it is very frustrating for the customer.

 

[CanucksRock]

If an airline changes your flight, I feel they should be accommodating in offering a replacement that works for you. When I went to Orlando last November, Westjet canceled the flight I had booked with them (I was fully expecting it would happen) and there was no replacement. I knew it was going to occur so I also booked a flight with Air Canada. Well, they canceled my outbound flight and changed it to 1 day later. I 100% did not want to lose a day at WDW, so I called them up, and they moved it to the day earlier with no cost. Of course - it still cost me, as I had to pay for an extra hotel night, but I got to experience Pop for a night so it was worth it. (Rest of trip was at CBR)

I really can’t wait for the day when travel gets back to normal and you don’t have to obsessively check your flights to see if they have changed.

 

[dawnelda]

Thank you OP for this valuable thread. Yesterday I checked my December flights and the outbound one on Dec. 15 had been cancelled. Fortunately I had already made other plans for December so I wasn't upset/disappointed as I would have been otherwise.

I scheduled a call-back with WestJet for 6 a.m. today and the phone rang at 6 on the dot. A short wait (~3 min) to be connected to a very nice agent. She asked if I wanted to accept the substitute flight on Dec. 16; I told her that I'd like to cancel with refund back to the original form of payment. She said that since the flight had been cancelled that was fine and 10 min later the call was complete; all the $ plus companion voucher were refunded. I was very happy with it and rather shocked that it went so well.

As an aside: I've come to the realization that out of country travel isn't really workable for me right now. It's just too stressful and unpredictable with:

• No vaccine available for DD8 yet
• Who knows what the quarantine rules would be like at time of travel
• Seemingly endless COVID tests before and after travel, both ways
• Land border closure
• Flights that can't be relied upon
• Variants raging out of control from time to time
• Less rigorous mask-wearing and social-distancing rules than I'm comfortable with
• Unclear if mixed-vaccines (AZ/Moderna for myself) would be accepted
• Astronomical pricing for a downgraded Disney experience

Which is why I decided to go to Northern Ontario in December to visit family instead of going to the Sunshine State. It's sad to choose freezing cold temperatures and snow over palm trees and warmth but it will be nice to spend Christmas with the extended family this year. We're also able to bring our Pandemic Pets (2 adorable Devon Rex cats) with us instead of boarding them for 2 weeks which is also nice. I feel good about the decision to not travel for a while and my stress level has certainly dropped.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Yikes!!! Now our flight leaving in 10 days says unconfirmed and to call!!! Flight info is completely gone from my profile!!!

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Double post

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Just phoned. The callback feature is only booking Friday onwards. See what happens now. I’m tempted just to cancel and book air Canada! Thing is my reservation is now gone so can’t even hit cancel! Lol

 

[tlcdoula]

Just phoned. The callback feature is only booking Friday onwards. See what happens now. I’m tempted just to cancel and book air Canada! Thing is my reservation is now gone so can’t even hit cancel! Lol

Do you have twitter or facebook try using their messenger on there? I am going to try it worked well last year when I was trying to deal with flights being cancelled.

 

[2Lunds]

Do you have twitter or facebook try using their messenger on there? I am going to try it worked well last year when I was trying to deal with flights being cancelled.

I second this. I've had excellent luck with chat on social media. It still takes several hours to get everything resolved, but you're not on hold on the phone at least.

 

[tlcdoula]

I second this. I've had excellent luck with chat on social media. It still takes several hours to get everything resolved, but you're not on hold on the phone at least.

Absolutely worth downloading and signing up for twitter if you don't have it. I don't use it normally and have only used it to contact west jet and I have been chatting with a rep already today.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Great advice. I’ll try fb and Twitter.