WestJet Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | As a Canadian senior citizen who was travelling alone, I am disappointed and appalled by the service, or lack thereof that I received by the WestJet staff at LaGuardia Airport. I am shocked at the disrespect and lack of empathy and dismissiveness shown to senior citizens by such young people. I was publicly insulted, shamed and verbally abused and felt bullied and intimidated. I arrived at the Check in lounge in terminal C at Gate C35 at 9.30am and asked the attendant to check my documents. She rudely sent me away because boarding was at 12 noon. At boarding time my entire trip went sideways. My PCR test was apparently done 240 minutes too soon to be valid despite of the fact that I had paid $119.00 for it and was reassured that it was valid. I was refused boarding and my flight rescheduled for 6.25pm I was sent on a quest to Terminal B, climbing on shuttle buses, climbing stairs, walking up a hill to an outside parking garage to get another PCR test, carrying my luggage by myself with no help, being exposing to all sorts of people in all sorts of places. If the flight had been delayed, would my PCR test have been invalid as well? I arrived back to Terminal C within the hour only to find the check in desks closed until 3.30pm where I stood waiting for more than 2 hours. I was exhausted and in pain. Once the desk opened there was more confusion regarding papers, some of it my fault, to which I immediately apologized profusely, only to be met with a barrage of insults, a raised voice and a disrespectful attitude in spite of the fact that I mentioned that I had apologized and explained that I was a senior citizen and had by that time been on my feet for 4 hours with nothing to eat or drink and was extremely exhausted from been sent from pillar to post. I requested security be called, but the attendant stormed off into the crowd saying "its okay." None of this incident probably would have happened if the attendant at the desk at 9.30am had checked my documents when I requested it? I may have been able to go for another test and still be back in time for my flight? Cabin staff were lovely and polite. Needless to say, sadly WestJet or Delta to whom they are affiliated will not be on my radar as an airline of choice again.

✅ Trip Verified | We booked our original flight to allow plenty of time to make our connecting flight in Toronto to come hone. WestJet changed that flight several times before we flew shortening the connection time each time. We finally ended up with a flight that only allowed 1.5 hours to make our connection. The flight was then delayed an hour and arrived at 9:35 but didn’t open the doors and let us off till 10pm. We ran from the plane to customs, waited in a line up of over 100 people, ran to through baggage with zero assistance from WestJet (they gave us no advise or support as to where to go, if our bags needed to be picked up or not, etc) and then just as we were about to run towards the gate an agent stopped us and radioed our gate to be told the plane left without us. My 85 year mother and rest of my family were tired and sweaty from running through the airport, lining up, going through customs and security with all the extra COVID protocols and then we were told to go to customer service to get a new flight and hotel accommodations. When we arrived at the customer service desk the agent first told us we would get a hotel booking and new flight. Then she took a call that said no, we did not qualify for the hotel because they felt we had enough time to catch the flight! There is no possible way we could have got through the Toronto airport, customs, and to our gate in 30 minutes! It is physically impossible to do! The agent was incredibly condescending with zero remorse that we were now stuck in an airport with no luggage, no flight and no where to stay! We pleaded with them to help us and explained we couldn’t have run any faster or done anything differently! We didn’t stop for any reason, other than line ups of hundreds of people ahead of us every step of the way! We even got pulled through the Nexus line to help us move through the line faster and we still didn’t make it. The agent had zero concern that we were travelling with an 85 year old senior and kept telling us that it is WestJets position that we could have made it, and it was our fault. The worst experience I have ever had with an airline and I am disgusted with their total lack of concern and complete refusal to help us. They no longer care about customer service or the people that fly on their airlines! We are just a body in a seat to them now!

Not Verified | How and why I was on hold today 28/Nov for over 8 hours and still not able to speak to an agent, don't send me lies, send me the solution? I already called all phone numbers that are listed on the net. Tried to book a vacation on the 23/Nov 6.5 hours on hold, still was not able to talk to an agent. Also not able to book online, "your ID does not match WestJet Rewards"?

Not Verified | Going from Winnipeg to Halifax my stop over in Toronto was only supposed to be 40 minutes. However we were 30 minutes late lifting off in Winnipeg. During the flight myself and other passengers inquired to our flight crew about connection concerns. They kept reassuring us it would be okay. When we landed they warned people that our planes were boarding. They didn't give us priority deboard time or anything. So I get to my gate. They told me the gate was closed. I have my cat with me he last ate at 7am Winnipeg time. It is now 245pm Winnipeg time. They say it is not the airline who chooses when they close the gate. They direct me to guest services. I get there and in line with 12 other people in a similar situation just none have an animal. They also only had one person working the guest services desk. When it's finally my turn I am told the next flight isn't until 935 Winnipeg time. I tell them I have a cat and need to be on something much earlier and explain how he hasn't ate yet. They tell me I can get a flight on a 515 flight but since it is a premier fare I will have to pay extra. I state this is their problem and to fix it they need to give me that seat at no charge. They still refuse and I request a manager. When the manager comes over she simply states I can not get their premier seat which is empty but since I didn't originally pay for a premier fare I can't get it for free. She then looks at my fare which is the cheapest option. And realizes even for a Surcharge I can't change the flight. She then tries to give me fake empathy and states she is a dog owner and understands how frustrating it is. Well I'm not buying it and I say something very cruel. She then tries to state if I continue talking like that she will bar me from using Westjet. I then ask about my luggage. I'm told it could be in Halifax before me or the same time as me. She doesn't know. She then prints my updated boarding pass and brushes me off to the side for the next customer. Not good westjet. I always stood up for your company, I have flown with you atleast twice a year since 2003 - you have lost me as a customer.

✅ Trip Verified | This review is regarding the customer service. My initial flight booked was a direct flight from MCO to YVR. I was then contacted by WestJet that the direct flight have been canceled. Our group had been split into two different groups. My flight was to go through YYJ. I expressed concerns about our layover time as it was under 2 hours, we were coming in through international and I would need to clear customs. I was assured by the WestJet employee it would be fine. Our flight out of Orlando ended up getting delayed, resulting in the group missing our connection. Things happen, understandable. This is where things went wrong, I was downgraded and told I had to call in for a refund. Fine? I was not given a food voucher for a new 5+ hour layover. I had to go ask after the rest of my group was given one. Whatever, I just wanted to get home. It has now been over a week of me attempting to contact WestJet everyday for my refund. I have sat on cold for an excess of 5 hours at a time. Their Facebook AI is atrocious. Twitter nobody bothers to reply. At this point I want a full refund and compensate for all my time wasted. I will never fly WestJet again.

✅ Trip Verified | Checking into the flight at Calgary was even more traumatic than my flight out from London Gatwick. There was one single line and then four staff working incredibly slowly to process all of the passengers. Because we were moving at such a slow rate and we were the only flight feeding into the security check they seem to take pleasure in carrying out remarkably thorough checks on everyone. In my case my bag was searched and I was scanned twice. Finding the lounge was a matter of detective work because there were no clues given at check-in. The Aspire lounge was pleasant with a selection of food and wine and a good Wi-Fi connection. Again, at boarding, there was no separate line for premium passengers. There was then a long wait before actually getting on the aircraft. On reaching the aircraft I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by the same smiling (under her mask!) cabin manager from the outward journey who is aware that we had ran out of food. She assured me that this would not be happening on this flight because the crew would be taking my order first. I was conscious that she ensured that they made a special effort and all of them were remarkably pleasant, efficient and diligent – a credit to WestJet and perhaps something at other airlines could learn from. Drinks were served efficiently and the food was very tasty. Although there was some evidence of pandemic-related plastic covering it wasn’t as onerous as it had been several months before. The business section was full there was no sense that the cabin crew were overwhelmed. The aircraft was clean, the toilet kept spotless and the cabin crew accepted that, unlike some airlines, it was not necessary to wear your mask between sipping a drink. Exiting the aircraft was efficiently done, immigration at Gatwick was incredibly fast (no more paper checks!) and we were even greeted by smiling Border Force officers. Apart from the appalling ground services this was a nice flight with good entertainment, a nice selection of food and wine and an excellent cabin crew.

✅ Trip Verified | My flight had been postponed because of covid-19 restrictions in Alberta. I had made a mistake of booking the flight through PH Travel Ltd which operates as Getaflight which charged a significant amount for rebooking the flight despite airlines saying that they would not do this. I arrived at Gatwick Airport early and there was no separate line for premium passengers. Checking in and depositing luggage was all done on machines and no details were given about a lounge. I worked out that we could use No.1 Lounge which was functional but uninspiring with a limited choice of food. I went to the gate in good time and there was already a long single line for all passengers – again with no line for business. After waiting 10 minutes someone walked along the line saying those with business tickets could go to the front. Boarding was painless after this point and we were offered a choice of champagne, water or orange juice. The aircraft appeared new and was very clean. The 1-2-1 seats were functional although it was difficult to reach the window dimmer switch. When it came to ordering food I was told that both the chicken and beef were no longer available leaving a slightly curious wild mushroom vegetarian dish. They had also ran out of the cheese selection for desserts. As a regular business traveller I realise that, on a full flight, occasionally one of the options might run out but this is the first time that I had ever experienced three choices not being available. The cabin crew were very apologetic and blamed the airline for excessive cost-cutting. Overall the flight was relatively painless, the pilot kept excessive messages to a minimum and we arrived in Calgary on time. It was not, however, a memorable experience but WestJet should remember that if passengers are paying a premium amount they deserve a premium service otherwise they will look elsewhere.

Not Verified | We booked our trip to Las Vegas, flights were suppose to be Saskatoon to Edmonton to Vancouver then lastly Vegas all in one day on the 10th of November. We had our hotel room booked for arrival in Vegas the night of the 10th. They suddenly changed our flight so that we had a layover in Edmonton and we didnt leave Edmonton until 10am on the 11th. This cost us to have to buy hotel rooms for a night in Edmonton at our own cost. We also almost lost our hotel rooms in Vegas because we were supposed to be there on the 10th. Thankfully they held the rooms for us but we had to pay for the full night we weren't there to hold it. We called WestJet and told them our situation and how we were upset. They did absolutely nothing at all! When we were coming home we noticed they changed our flights again. We were supposed to leave Vegas on the 15th stopping in Vancouver then Calgary and then Saskatoon. They changed it so we had to leave Vegas on the 14th instead, causing us to lose money again on our room we booked in Vegas. We also had to get a hotel room in Vancouver since we had a layover and again that was all out of our own pocket. We were waiting for our flight to Vancouver but it got delayed 5 times! The reason was for staffing issues. We finally got on our flight to Calgary but when we got to Calgary our connecting flight to Saskatoon was already departed. They told us to grab our luggage and go to the check in. No one could find our luggage so they told us they would deliver it to our home in Saskatoon. We got to the check in and waited in line for 2 hours until we got the talk to anyone. They wanted us to wait until the 17th to fly to Saskatoon which was not happening so we decided to rent a car and drive home the next day. They gave us hotel vouchers for a nice hotel but thats it. We were pushed around and were not taken seriously when we complained. Westjet used to be my go to airline but thats definitely has changed after this. Never again will we EVER fly with this insensitive and disorganized airline. I'm just so disappointed and upset. Do not waste your time or money with them!

Not Verified | Three of us were going to Salt Spring Island for a weekend break. We were taking the 11:20 p.m. flight. We had people looking after our dog for us and they had moved into our home for the w/e. We got to the the airport at 10:00 p.m. and were checking in. All of the sudden the screen flashed - flight cancelled. We went to the desk and apparently there was no crew for our flight. We had booked a hotel in Victoria which was done through a 3rd party app and they would not refund us our money. Lost $240.36 there. We could not go back to our condo late a night and kick our dog sitters out so had to get a hotel room - another $241.38. There was not a flight which could take the 3 of us so one of us had to fly early in the morning and go through Vancouver. My husband and I didn't arrive in Victoria until early afternoon. I then booked a flight on points for my daughter to return home from New York this December for our wedding. I did this almost a month ago and had everything confirmed. This was through Delta, but apparently it is a Westjet flight. I just got notification that her flight has been changed and there is nothing we could do about it except to move her into the last business class flight on the way home at a cost of $2,600. I feel that Westjet is overbooking their flights and then don't have the crews to man them. I will no longer be flying this airline. I used to love them, but they are a mess now. I actually was on hold for 3.5 hours with the first mess. Good luck with this business model!.

✅ Trip Verified | Absolutely terrible service. Our flight was delayed from 5:50 pm to 8:15 pm due to a fuel shortage and maintenance issue. Before boarding we asked west jet service agent what we will do regarding our connection flight and they had no answers and advised for us to ask the flight attendants on board. After finally boarding the plane and sitting on the run way for another 20 minutes waiting for the “ok” from maintenance at 9pm, we asked the flight attendants several times throughout the flight for assistance or directions due to missing our connecting flight to Toronto from Calgary, still no answers. Then, we land in Calgary and there is no bridge Marshall to help us, the pilot even expressed his embarrassment at this point. We get off the plane in Calgary and there are so many people that have now missed their connections. We were then given no voucher, no meal coupon, not a hotel - nothing and scheduled on a 6:35am flight the next day. We have now been at the Calgary airport for 5 hours and still waiting. Absolutely worst experience I have ever had with an airline. Will never be flying Westjet again.