Face of Nation : WestJet is at the centre of a federal transportation inquiry after an Edmonton couple was bumped off a flight last month without being informed.
The federal tribunal tasked with overseeing air transportation says the inquiry will examine whether parts of WestJet policies are “just and reasonable” and whether they align with the new Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), the Canadian Transportation Agency said in a news release Friday.
The inquiry is the first since the agency started enforcing parts of the regulations on July 15, says industry watchdog Gabor Lukacs. Chelsea Williamson and her husband spent more than a year planning a two-week backpacking trip through Italy for their honeymoon.
The couple checked in to their flights online the day before departure without issue, Williamson told. On July 22, they arrived at the Edmonton International Airport with carry-on backpacks and breezed through security.
But when they got to the boarding gate, tickets in hand, the agent told them they didn’t have seats on the flight, Williamson said. The gate agent said WestJet had downsized the aircraft the night before and rebooked the couple on a flight leaving five hours later, she said.
The original flight left on time. Williamson and her husband arrived in Venice eight hours later than expected. “It’s extremely disappointing,” she said. “It took away a good chunk of time for us in Venice and unfortunately, we had only planned to stay two nights.”
WestJet didn’t notify the couple beforehand, Williamson said, and neither did their third-party booking agent, Air Miles. She said an Air Miles representative told her WestJet never alerted the company to itinerary changes.
“In what other area can a consumer buy something and then have the retailer or contractor or whomever change it on them without consulting and receiving approval from the customer first?” Williamson said.
Williamson said her situation amounts to denied boarding: she arrived at the gate with a ticket for a flight and was told the airline could not accommodate her on the plane.
Under the new federal regulations, passengers are entitled to $1,800 for a six- to nine-hour delay to their final destination in cases of denied boarding. But WestJet has a different interpretation — an interpretation Williamson said has never been communicated clearly.
Then, in later email exchanges with Williamson, the company said the situation amounted to a delay for an “operational change,” but offered no further explanation.
Williamson could claim $400 for the delay under the new regulations — except those provisions don’t come into force until mid-December. As a result, WestJet told Williamson she wasn’t entitled to compensation, but offered her a $125 courtesy voucher. “I didn’t feel that was acceptable,” she said.
