Flying Westjet? Check your flights!

[bookbabe626]

We lost our Premium seats on the cancelled flight as well, no refunds. The only replacement flight that would work for us had no Premium seats left and because we booked with RBC Avion points I can't even deal directly with WestJet to try to get a refund. After almost 6 hours on hold to rebook the flight they'd cancelled on us (no email notice and no rebooked flight on their end, they just flat out cancelled) I'm just going to let it go but I'll try my best to never fly WestJet again if I can help it.

Our rep did say there was an online form we could fill out to get a refund of the difference between the premium and economy fares, can’t remember what it was called since we didn’t end up going with that option.

We’re gold with Westjet, so we will likely stick with them. I don’t find AC to have any better service in these times, and we never enjoyed our pre-covid flights with them anyway. I’m interested to see how long it will take before service levels restore themselves in a post-covid world.

 

[enigmatic595]

Wow thanks for the heads up! Our August flights were changed with no email notice. Our departure now has an overnight layover which means we lose a day of our vacation... Now on hold to try and move the flight to the day before so at least we arrive on time. We're not too happy about the added cost of a hotel in YYZ though :/

 

[22Tink]

Our rep did say there was an online form we could fill out to get a refund of the difference between the premium and economy fares, can’t remember what it was called since we didn’t end up going with that option.

Thanks for this info. Maybe I’ll do a little research and see if it’s something I can use.

 

[petunia]

OMG just checked our August flight because of this post and mine was changed as well, no email!!

 

[bcwife76]

Seems like WJ was busy changing their August schedule, while not letting most of us know I cancelled our hotel in Mexico today and cancelled our WJ flights, travel credits are now expiring in June and July 2023. Sigh.

 

[JeffjonesHfx]

Wow thanks for the heads up! Our August flights were changed with no email notice. Our departure now has an overnight layover which means we lose a day of our vacation... Now on hold to try and move the flight to the day before so at least we arrive on time. We're not too happy about the added cost of a hotel in YYZ though :/

What days are you flying in August?? My Aug 8 flight from YHZ-YYZ-MCO was changed just slightly (getting in at MCO the same time just a slightly shorter layover in YYZ). I'm curious if more changes are in the works?

 

[petunia]

Does anyone know if due to WJ changing your flight time you now want to cancel completely will you get a refund or just the travel credit, and if you used WJ dollars and companion does that make a difference? Thx

 

[bookbabe626]

Does anyone know if due to WJ changing your flight time you now want to cancel completely will you get a refund or just the travel credit, and if you used WJ dollars and companion does that make a difference? Thx

Nope, they just put your voucher and WJ$ back into your account(s) where they came from. However, they may or may not change expiry dates of the vouchers, so you might lose it if you booked ages ago.

I‘m getting to be an expert at changing/cancelling WJ flights at this point. At least one flight a month for the course of the closures. Fingers crossed that this round of schedule changes was one of the last big ones, and that more normal flight schedules resume soon.

 

[petunia]

Nope, they just put your voucher and WJ$ back into your account(s) where they came from. However, they may or may not change expiry dates of the vouchers, so you might lose it if you booked ages ago.

I‘m getting to be an expert at changing/cancelling WJ flights at this point. At least one flight a month for the course of the closures. Fingers crossed that this round of schedule changes was one of the last big ones, and that more normal flight schedules resume soon.

So frustrating, as I was going to leave work a couple hours early, but now the flight leaves at 9 am so I either have to take the whole day or change the flight, but now the options are so limited..considering cancelling all together and booking with AC but the whole point was to use my companion and WJ$ How long did it take for the voucher/WJ$ to be back in your account after you filled out that form, is it right away if I wanted to rebook?

 

[PixieT78]

Man these kinds of threads are so helpful! I checked mine but am not flying until September and so far, so good. However, I imagine that is further out than they are planning at the moment so we'll see what ends up happening. Hopefully they don't change to the point of causing an issue as I like our plans right now! lol

 

[bookbabe626]

So frustrating, as I was going to leave work a couple hours early, but now the flight leaves at 9 am so I either have to take the whole day or change the flight, but now the options are so limited..considering cancelling all together and booking with AC but the whole point was to use my companion and WJ$ How long did it take for the voucher/WJ$ to be back in your account after you filled out that form, is it right away if I wanted to rebook?

It‘s almost immediate. Usually see all the updates online fairly quickly, sometimes even before the call has ended. It‘s much faster than getting a cash refund.

If you are going to rebook immediately, I’d just call and change the flight…if prices for the new flight are the same or higher, they generally won’t charge you anything if you’re rebooking because of their changes, and if the new flights are cheaper, you often get a refund of the difference.

 

[petunia]

It‘s almost immediate. Usually see all the updates online fairly quickly, sometimes even before the call has ended. It‘s much faster than getting a cash refund.

If you are going to rebook immediately, I’d just call and change the flight…if prices for the new flight are the same or higher, they generally won’t charge you anything if you’re rebooking because of their changes, and if the new flights are cheaper, you often get a refund of the difference.

I thought I had read wait times have been insane so I was going to attempt to do it online..question though, if they only changed my dep flight, but because of it I may actually want to change my return as well but now the return date is more $, would I have to pay the difference?

 

[bcwife76]

I thought I had read wait times have been insane so I was going to attempt to do it online..question though, if they only changed my dep flight, but because of it I may actually want to change my return as well but now the return date is more $, would I have to pay the difference?

Yes because when you cancel online it cancels your entire itinerary. You don't have the option of just cancelling part of it, you have to cancel all of it. So when you go to rebook it is at the current price. Might be different if you call (good luck getting through). But online it's all or nothing. My entire experience with WJ from the start of the pandemic through my latest debacle has really soured them for me and as soon as I can finally finish using the $3425 they have held hostage since Jan 2020 I will probably look elsewhere for future flights.

 

[Starwind]

This CBC article will be of interest to those with flights Westjet changed:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/westjet-rebooked-flights-refuse-refunds-1.6100293

 

[JeffjonesHfx]

Fingers crossed our flight stays unchanged until we leave on Aug 8. Don't want to deal with rebooking, or worse, cancelling. Flights are getting pretty expensive and a credit won't go far for me as we got a great deal on our current booked flights.

 

[ronandannette]

Yes because when you cancel online it cancels your entire itinerary. You don't have the option of just cancelling part of it, you have to cancel all of it. So when you go to rebook it is at the current price. Might be different if you call (good luck getting through). But online it's all or nothing. My entire experience with WJ from the start of the pandemic through my latest debacle has really soured them for me and as soon as I can finally finish using the $3425 they have held hostage since Jan 2020 I will probably look elsewhere for future flights.

I'm hyperventilating. Our planned trip to Vancouver has had both outbound and returned cancelled and not rebooked. Not only would I never have even known had it not been for this thread, I can see no evidence of my payment being refunded (travel credits from a cancellation last spring). Flights on the same day and at virtually the same times are showing as available at 3X what we originally paid. Honestly, I don't know what to do. I'm booked for a "call back" for next Monday, which was the earliest available time.

 

[petunia]

Yes I should say, shout out to the OP, if it werent for this thread I would have likely never known to even check, I would have totally assumed that an email would have been sent for any changes.

 

[samsteele]

Our rep did say there was an online form we could fill out to get a refund of the difference between the premium and economy fares

AC did this to me a few years ago on my return flight from MCO to YYZ. Switched planes with no notice and I lost my paid for aisle seat selection. Different plane with different seat configuration and attendants chose to seat young men with longer legs in aisle seats at their own discretion. ie winks at 6 am Customer service at MCO desk wouldn't deal with it when I found out at check in. Called AC when I got home and they wouldn't deal with it either. Directed me to an online form. I completed the online form and did eventually get the difference back 2+ months later after over 2 hours of wasted time and multiple calls. Bottom line is both AC and WJ have terrible customer service and Cdns are a captive market. If we ever get viable alternatives, we need to support them if only to pull the leash hard on AC and WJ. And when the Cdn $ continues to rise and border restrictions lift to make flying out of the US eg Syracuse viable, then do it. Make a difference with your pocket book.

 

[suse66]

Based on a post here, I checked my Westjet flights for August to MCO from YYZ. Well...they changed both my outbound and inbound direct flights, I now have a layover, and it has implications for when I can COVID test in Orlando. The kicker? They didn't tell me my flights are changed. So PLEASE check your flights. And their customer service line is not accepting calls at this time and you can't make adjustments online.

Same thing happened to me. The first time was not Disney related but they changed my flight from Toronto to PEI by two days,(from July 14 to July 12 with no notice). which caused me to miss an important appointment with my son. Luckily I own a cottage in PEI so had somewhere to stay and work for the school board so am off right now. What if I had to arrange other accommodations and additional time off work. So unfair! Then my return flight from Orlando was changed on the 15th of August from an evening flight to mid afternoon which forced to give up my plans for that day. Not happy with WestJet at all!

 

[suse66]

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