Flying Westjet? Check your flights!

[tlcdoula]

I was looking on the west jet site at flights again. Dreaming most likely but they say they are restarting flights from YVR to SNA in October.

hubby has decided he doesn’t want to be in a car to drive down so if these flights are a go in November we may give it a go.

 

[Christine caine]

I had a flight change for October and was notified by email. Only because I have a westjet rewards card probably. But I found I called to change my grandsons last name on flights in Jan. Cause apparently grandma doesn't know his name even though he lives with me according to my grandsons lol. The number I called 1 888 737 7001 or maybe 1888 937 8538 good luck everyone

 

[wdwmom3]

I had a flight change for October and was notified by email. Only because I have a westjet rewards card probably. But I found I called to change my grandsons last name on flights in Jan. Cause apparently grandma doesn't know his name even though he lives with me according to my grandsons lol. The number I called 1 888 737 7001 or maybe 1888 937 8538 good luck everyone

A number of us here have the card and had flights changed or cancelled with no notice. It seems they only email things out occasionally. Like I had an email telling me a flight I had cancelled had changed, but never got one for flights I was still booked on. It makes no sense.

Bottom line is their service has been horrible. Once I use up my credit I’m cancelling my card and won’t fly them again.

 

[ronandannette]

A number of us here have the card and had flights changed or cancelled with no notice. It seems they only email things out occasionally. Like I had an email telling me a flight I had cancelled had changed, but never got one for flights I was still booked on. It makes no sense.

Bottom line is their service has been horrible. Once I use up my credit I’m cancelling my card and won’t fly them again.

Easy enough to do here at home; just choose Air Canada instead. But it gets trickier flying internationally as WestJet codeshares with many other airlines and if you book one of them with a connecting flight, you most likely will end up on a WestJet plane leaving Canada.
https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/who-we-are/airline-partners

 

[Christine caine]

Yes but Air Canada is so much more money. I hate spending money especially for travel that is the same distance in a similar plane. It just doesn't make sense to me how different the prices are for separate airlines.

 

[quandrea]

Yes but Air Canada is so much more money. I hate spending money especially for travel that is the same distance in a similar plane. It just doesn't make sense to me how different the prices are for separate airlines.

I find, on the routes I fly anyway, that Air Canada is without exception, cheaper than West Jet.

 

[badiggio]

I don't see how AC is so much more.Usually I find them around the same price but AC has so much more flights than westJet to the same destination.that comes in handy when missing a connection and getting on the next flight within hours and NOT days.

 

[Going to WDW]

So Westjet did a call back ... not on the date or time expected... but they did call back and the rep was helpful.

I explained our situation (DH accepted the flight change they made, but our issue was with the pre-purchased seats.) DH was originally YOW-YYC-YYJ/YYJ to YOW, and we prepaid exit row seats on the long legs (originally YOW to YYC and YYJ to YOW on return. The return flight hasn't changed (so far anyway) but the outbound flight was changed to YOW to YYZ to YYJ. They applied the seat selection we paid $60+ for YOW to YYC leg to the YOW-YYZ leg on a Dash 8 that offers no preferred seating anyway.

When I spoke to the rep he originally wanted to refund the initial seat selection and charge for the new --- but the new seat selection on the YYZ to YYJ was about $30 more. He was all set to do that and then said "no --- he'd waive the fee for the YYZ-YYJ leg since it was our change that caused the issue" which shouldn't have even been in question. So I guess it all worked out in the end.

Ultimately the agent was pleasant, helpful, and able to fix the issue to a satisfactory conclusion. I guess the only quibble I have now is the probably 18 hours I spent on hold (waiting, waiting, cut off... rinse and repeat 3 times.) We have a March break flight with them and that will probably define how we perceive WJ going forward. We paid extra for direct flights ---- if they change those to connections we will not be back. (Our WJ cc fee renews shortly after that. If there are issues in March we'll cancel that card in a heart beat.)

 

[lozzypop]

Well, our luck ran out. Our February 2022 flights were changed, and my return flight from SNA was changed to YYC (Calgary) - YYJ (Victoria) but with an overnight in Calgary, not arriving home until Sunday morning. No offense to Calgarians but I have no wish to overnight there. Why do airlines think that you want to spend 24hrs+ getting back from a destination that is 5 hours away?

So I checked it out and it looks like WJ is just cancelling the Saturday flights? I can still get to Victoria through Vancouver on Friday, or on Sunday. Just not Saturday. It makes no sense to me.

Anyway, I have decided to go with a flight back on Friday (for a multitude of reasons) so I just have to gird my loins for the phone call to WestJet support.

 

[tlcdoula]

Well, our luck ran out. Our February 2022 flights were changed, and my return flight from SNA was changed to YYC (Calgary) - YYJ (Victoria) but with an overnight in Calgary, not arriving home until Sunday morning. No offense to Calgarians but I have no wish to overnight there. Why do airlines think that you want to spend 24hrs+ getting back from a destination that is 5 hours away?

So I checked it out and it looks like WJ is just cancelling the Saturday flights? I can still get to Victoria through Vancouver on Friday, or on Sunday. Just not Saturday. It makes no sense to me.

Anyway, I have decided to go with a flight back on Friday (for a multitude of reasons) so I just have to gird my loins for the phone call to WestJet support.

I noticed that yesterday for our flights for November... I can't fly from Nanaimo YCD to SNA with a layover at YVR... I have to go through Calgary. I hope they will re add this at a later point and I can try to switch it. Our flights home so far are fine and go through YVR

 

[lozzypop]

Well, our luck ran out. Our February 2022 flights were changed, and my return flight from SNA was changed to YYC (Calgary) - YYJ (Victoria) but with an overnight in Calgary, not arriving home until Sunday morning. No offense to Calgarians but I have no wish to overnight there. Why do airlines think that you want to spend 24hrs+ getting back from a destination that is 5 hours away?

So I checked it out and it looks like WJ is just cancelling the Saturday flights? I can still get to Victoria through Vancouver on Friday, or on Sunday. Just not Saturday. It makes no sense to me.

Anyway, I have decided to go with a flight back on Friday (for a multitude of reasons) so I just have to gird my loins for the phone call to WestJet support.

Received a callback from WestJet exactly as scheduled on Friday. I still had to wait for 10 - 15 minutes to speak with a person but since they called me, that was OK. Rep was helpful and re-booking flight for Friday went smoothly. She seemed a little less than enthusiastic compared to other WJ reps I've spoken to in the past, but I don't blame her one little bit. I expect they are taking a lot of flak and are generally overworked as it is. It's my policy to be kind no matter what because everyone is dealing with a lot of crap these days.

 

[thenicefamily]

I find, on the routes I fly anyway, that Air Canada is without exception, cheaper than West Jet.

Really? Completely opposite for me. Flown AC for decades but, switched to WJ for the more friendly vibe and, yes, cheaper flights. Now everything changed, WJ a mess but, maybe AC too? Pricing-wise, though, I find mostly price matching at worst but, WJ cheaper always, at best. Maybe just the routes I fly?

And, to reiterate what lozzypop just said, my recent experiences (and there have been MANY) with WJ reps, once I receive a pre-booked call-back, has been good. I go into the calls knowing they've been dealing with crap for 18 months and start by asking them to be patient with me and my extensive flight changes. Most due to WJ flight changes but, still, they didn't make those schedule changes and they're just there to help sort out their employer's mess. I've spent, literally, hours on multiple calls and by the end of all of them there's thanks and a genuine warmth from both sides. I'm happy about that. It's difficult, frustrating, disappointing, challenging, scary times and we're all just doing our best.

 

[quandrea]

Really? Completely opposite for me. Flown AC for decades but, switched to WJ for the more friendly vibe and, yes, cheaper flights. Now everything changed, WJ a mess but, maybe AC too? Pricing-wise, though, I find mostly price matching at worst but, WJ cheaper always, at best. Maybe just the routes I fly?

And, to reiterate what lozzypop just said, my recent experiences (and there have been MANY) with WJ reps, once I receive a pre-booked call-back, has been good. I go into the calls knowing they've been dealing with crap for 18 months and start by asking them to be patient with me and my extensive flight changes. Most due to WJ flight changes but, still, they didn't make those schedule changes and they're just there to help sort out their employer's mess. I've spent, literally, hours on multiple calls and by the end of all of them there's thanks and a genuine warmth from both sides. I'm happy about that. It's difficult, frustrating, disappointing, challenging, scary times and we're all just doing our best.

Almost always cheaper. I’m flagged as a frequent flyer with AC. I wonder if somehow that affects the algorithm? In the past 17 years or so, WJ has been cheaper maybe three times. That’s with me taking hundreds of flights.

 

[thenicefamily]

Quandrea "Almost always cheaper. I’m flagged as a frequent flyer with AC. I wonder if somehow that affects the algorithm? In the past 17 years or so, WJ has been cheaper maybe three times. That’s with me taking hundreds of flights."

It could be many variables, Quandrea. The routes you fly (we generally fly mostly to UK and Europe, occasionally Western US from Western Canada), the days you fly, yes perhaps even algorithms but, our experiences differ. I wouldn't make a sweeping statement such as "Almost always cheaper" as it could be misleading depending on people's most frequently travelled routes and dates of travel.

I could also, admittedly, be wrong about WestJet being more expensive, now (although when I was AC and checked/compared WJ, invariably WJ was cheaper but that was some years ago) because since switching my frequent flyer loyalties to WestJet, I never, ever, check/compare AC anymore. I'm not disbelieving you but, I'm suggesting that, perhaps it's in everyone's best interest to continue to compare and buy based on their needs and results.

 

[tlcdoula]

my games with west jet changes has started. Flying out has only changed be 10
Mins but coming home they have us routed through Calgary instead of vancouver with a 6 hour layover.

 

[damo]

And so it begins for me too. Westjet seems to have stopped any direct flights from Toronto to Orlando on Wednesdays. They moved us to Tuesday without any notice. That doesn't work for us. They had better give us our money back.

 

[badiggio]

WJ is just too unreliable right now to book anything with them,for the "few" times they might actually be pennies cheaper than AC.They don't have as many flights as AC to begin with,which is a major problem if you miss a connection and now especially, it seems that anything you book is guaranteed to get changed or cancelled.It gives the impression of bait and switch;offer something great and then pull the switcheroo.

 

[damo]

WJ is just too unreliable right now to book anything with them,for the "few" times they might actually be pennies cheaper than AC.They don't have as many flights as AC to begin with,which is a major problem if you miss a connection and now especially, it seems that anything you book is guaranteed to get changed or cancelled.It gives the impression of bait and switch;offer something great and then pull the switcheroo.

Ya, we don't want to rebook with them. According to their website since they cancelled the flight and rebooked us 24 hours later, we are entitled to a full refund (not a credit) or they should rebook us on another airline. We'll see what they say.

 

[Chip#1]

I've been watching since Sep1st for the next round of changes since the last few months the beginning of the month is when they push them through; believe it's typically for the 7/8th of the following month through the 7/8th of the next month -- so I knew our Oct flights were gonna get hit. I booked my mom from Regina --> YYC for end of Oct (we are going to DL) a couple of weeks ago and wrote a pretty lengthy text on which flights i think she should booked based on what I thought they would change to. Booked her on A & B thinking they would change to C & D. Yesterday when I looked, yep they changed exactly to C & D. While it's kinda funny it's most definitely sad...sad that I've had that many YYC-Regina flights changed this past year that I can predict what they will change them to -- vs just going with the schedule that WJ posts. Of course I text my mom and her reply is 'I didnt get an email' -- ya if you do consider yourself one of the lucky ones. Same with my aunt who plans on going to Regina in Oct from YYC -- texted her yesterday morning to check her flights and her reply was I'm waiting on my email; then you'll be waiting a LONG time, go check! (and yep totally changed for her too). Now the really strange thing...we have a return Oct 9th flight book for non-stop MCO -- YYC and I figured for sure that would get changed/cancelled (the flights the week prior had been cancelled back at the beginning of Aug). Had the orange ! mark in the app, clicked on it -- WHAT?? Only the arrival time changed by 20min..they still have the YYC-MCO-YYC Friday & Saturday flights listed for Oct 8th forward. Now what to do? I have a backup Delta flight booked (through MSP; short connection time since they already changed their flights) or go with WJ? My concern w WJ is that I had this exact same flight booked in Dec and 24days before, they cancelled it. So I think I'm going to wait a bit before I decide -- I'll get credits either way which I'm fine with. My current theory is that the flight down on the 9th has over 50 ppl booked on it plus it's a Max8 -- so I think they might be trying to get the Max8 into more rotation so the pilots keep up with their flying time (they were actually using the Max8 for a couple of YYC-Regina routes?!). See what happens... Wishing everyone luck with their current changes.

 

[ottawamom]

Thanks for the information about when changes have been happening. So, if I were to book a direct flight Ottawa -Winnipeg today for two weeks from now, those flights would be fairly sure of going? I've been tracking this particular route for about 6 weeks now and it seems to fly, sometimes an hour or two late, but they get you there.