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Business Profile

Airlines

WestJet Airlines

Headquarters

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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Important information

  • Customer Complaint:
    Due to the volume of complaints received, BBB is publishing the details (text) of 50% of complaints as a representative sample. 

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for WestJet Airlines's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 562 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 172 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/02/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      The flight on 2022 December 22 was cancelled , but the westjet vacation did not give me the refund all the time. . Booking number :******* Reservation ***********

      Business Response

      Date: 09/02/2023

      The business responded to this complaint but requested that their response not be published.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 09/02/2023


      Complaint: ********

      I am rejecting this response because:I have already claim a  refund at the end of December , But I did not receive the refund until now. And the refund should be given back to my bank account or westjet account. 

      Sincerely,

      *************************
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/02/2023

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      December 24 flight 7 am cancelled at 5 am and no alternative flights or options Had to book with *** ****** and was very expensive

      Business Response

      Date: 09/02/2023

      The business responded to this complaint but requested that their response not be published.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 09/02/2023


      Complaint: ********

      I am rejecting this response because: The flight was cancelled and there was no other option available.  I received a refund but no other form of compensation.  My credit card does not have travel insurance for Westjet.

      Sincerely,

      ***********************
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:06/02/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      ResolvedMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I arrived in *******, ** from **************** on Feb 2, 2023 on flight **** only to find out that my baggage was the only one that did not arrive. I immediately filed a delayed baggage claim and spoke with the representatives both at the international terminal and the supervisor who resided at the domestic terminal. I conveyed to both the urgency of receiving that baggage as it received after care for my surgery. This included materials for wound care, antibiotics and infection mitigation creams. I asked to immediately send the baggage under priority mail, westjet responded that this was not available and it was to be sent on the next flight. Later in the evening I received a status update indicating that the baggage was found yet it wasn't scheduled to be on the flight until 2 days later (this made no sense as they had daily flights from ********; if this were the case then they should have pursued a contingency plan since the baggage was earmarked as 'URGENT'). This was detrimental as it meant I would be left without aftercare for another 2 days and would miss a minimum of 3 cycles of aftercare including my original day of arrival. I continued to contact them on Saturday (2 days after) to learn that it was not on the scheduled flight, then on Sunday (3 days after) to indicate it could have possible arrived on the flight then. I am writing this report on Monday (4 days after) after receiving no updates or indication that the baggage was indeed received at the terminal and that it would be transited within the same day. I have reached out to them via ******** and their CBS department to see if it was possible to escalate to a manager, both indicated they had no manager, I am lost in regards to any methodologies to elevate the situation. I would like to receive my bag back, pursue a refund for the baggage fee at a minimum and to receive fair compensation for **************************** spent on troubleshooting this issue. Westjet file reference **********

      Business Response

      Date: 10/02/2023

      The business responded to this complaint but requested that their response not be published.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 13/02/2023


      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me; no additional action is required (feedback below).

      Though I am very appreciative that the baggage has finally been delivered, 7 days without a comprehensive compensation package is a very unsatisfactory resolution especially in regards to the predicament that I had been put through; I believe this is why westjet has no incentive to deliver in a timely manner as their are no serious financial implications until the baggage is deemed 'lost'. My suggestions to the business are as follows:

      1) root cause analysis as to why baggage is misplaced/ delayed. This should be reduced to near zero given the substantial time impact to receipt of baggage if an adverse delay should occur. 

      2) Engage 3rd party contractor for package delivery so expediting is an available option. 

      3) Develop better communication and information distribution systems to their international branches. The feedback from my phone conversations is that they have zero control over what happens; hence why there is no explanation as to the delay. 

      Sincerely,

      *****************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:06/02/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Flight cancelled by WestJet on 24 December, 2023. West Jet didnt fulfill its commitment to fly us to ******************. Flight cancelled with no explanation given. West Jet refuses to reimburse ** for the $6535 we are out for the hotel we booked. There were other flights a few days after the original flight. West Jet was not answering emails and calls.

      Business Response

      Date: 08/02/2023

      The business responded to this complaint but requested that their response not be published. 

      Business Response

      Date: 21/02/2023

      The business responded to this complaint but requested that their response not be published. 

      Customer Answer

      Date: 23/02/2023

      Complaint: ********

      I am rejecting this response:

      West Jet has failed to respond to the question of why did they wait until 6:24 pm MST on the 23rd of December to cancel this flight when the weather disrupted travel for the week leading up to the flight.  This delay in cancelling the flight ensured we were not able to cancel our hotel in a timely fashion and missed the 3 pm eastern cutoff on the 23rd to cancel the hotel without financial losses incurred by us.  This is why we maintain West Jet is responsible to reimburse us the hotel costs.

      I understand that West Jet policy states that they are not responsible for reimbursement for hotel costs.  This policy is wrong, this policy has been obviously written in West Jet's favour.  Where is the customer service?  Please respond to what it is that West Jet did for ***** and ****************************

      I also note that West Jet has failed to comment on why it took 46 days to report to us that the flight was cancelled due to weather.  West Jet maintains "they made every effort on travelers behalf's" to look into other options."  They have failed to provide a response to my suggestion of working with the resort and ******.com to find a resolution to our situation.

      I read the West Jet response that their staff worked diligently to provide alternate travel arrangements during this time.  I find this frustrating as nothing was communicated to us, and West Jet was totally unreachable for the week following our cancelled flight.  We had a call back scheduled for 2 January, 2023 and West Jet failed to call.  They were totally unreachable.   

      I acknowledge the response about the $400 / person compensation for the **** claim.  I'm not sure why West Jet chose to include that in their last response as it has nothing to do with our claim of $6535.33. 

      I would like my file forwarded to the next level of management at West Jet for consideration of reimbursement of our financial loss.

      Sincerely,

      ***************************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:06/02/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      On Oct 10, 2022, I booked return travel from *** to ************ for my family for Dec *****, 2022 (booking #****** and ******). On Dec 17, we checked in for our flight online and noted it was on time. On Dec 18, we traveled to *** at 9:00am. We arrived and went through security to our gate. Though it has begun to snow, we noted the flight was still on time. At 11:30, I checked the flight status and noted the flight had been delayed until 2:00pm. We were not boarded onto the plane until 2:42pm and pulled away from the gate at 3:04pm. During the delay, we were provided no updates from Westjet nor were we provided any food, beverages to sustain us. Upon boarding, we were delayed on the tarmac an additional **** hours with no food, beverage access. We finally took off at approx. 4:40pm. We landed in ************ at 7:15pm (**** hrs later than scheduled). On Jan 2, 2023 I spoke to Westjet Agent about this flight delay issue. The agent confirmed that the issue was controllable or within the airlines control. She advised me to file an **** request for my family. I filed the **** request with Westjet on this same day. On Jan 29, 2023, Westjet responded to our **** claim by denying us compensation. This despite confirmation from Westjet (recorded call) that the issue that caused our **** hr delay was controllable. Westjet has not provided a rationale as to why this was denied or explained the contradiction between its agent and its **** team assessment. We are owed this compensation as the issue was caused and within the control of Westjet.

      Business Response

      Date: 06/02/2023

      The business responded to this complaint but requested that their response not be published.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 06/02/2023

      Complaint: ********

      I am rejecting this response. Please see the ******** narrative in PDF format for details as to why.

      Sincerely,


      ***** ******* 

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:02/02/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      UnansweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      On December 22,2022 WestJet canceled our flight from ******* to ********* 12 minutes before we were scheduled to leave. They offered ** a flight to *******, not our home. They closed the phone lines so we were unable to talk to an agent. When we arrived in *******, they did not have a flight home to ********* for us. They did not provide accommodation for us while we waited. We were told to wait for an email from WestJet for our flight home, as of today (February 2,2023) we still have not received an email for a flight home to *********. We booked flights and paid out of pocket to get home to *********. I have submitted requests to WestJet for compensation and they have denied them twice. I have looked at their policies and have ******** a letter which goes into more detail of my experience.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/02/2023

      The business responded to this complaint but requested that their response not be published. 

      Customer Answer

      Date: 07/02/2023


      Complaint: ********

      I am rejecting this response because: I have already submitted complaints to WestJet and they stated that compensation is not owing because they claim it was "outside their control". I have submitted the expense forms as they have requested but I do not think their response will be any different with submitting my receipts, and fear they will deny compensation again. Therefore, I would like ************** ***** to guarantee that I will be compensated because WestJet failed to get me home to my final destination. As I stated in my letter, it is their responsibility to get me to my final destination (home in *********). ******* is not a neighboring city or reasonable distance to ********* and again failed to get us transportation to *********. I have ******** some of my receipts and have more that I can attach more if needed. 

      Sincerely,

      ***************************************

      Business Response

      Date: 08/02/2023

      The business responded to this complaint but requested that their response not be published. 
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:02/02/2023

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      My partner and I have a reservation with WestJet Airlines *** to travel into *****************. As a person of size, I called to add (and pay for) an extra seat to my reservation so that the comfortability of my partner and other passengers on the plane were established. I called WestJet and spoke to an agent who also then spoke to their ****************************** who indicated that the only way to book an extra seat would be to cancel my entire reservation and re-book at current fare levels which are substantially higher than at the time of booking. There was no effort to accommodate our needs and their process is completely out of line with other major airlines, most of whom have established customer of size policies. It is unreasonable to expect that someone who is facing accessibility issues should have to pay extra in order to access these services. WestJet should be able to take an existing reservation and simply add another paid ticket (seat) to the reservation. Especially considering the seats beside us are currently open. I would like there to be some sort of resolution to this issue. It has caused emotional distress to myself and my partner. We feel like we are being ************* against because of our size even though we are trying to pay to ensure other passengers are not made uncomfortable by taking up space.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/02/2023

       The business responded to this complaint but requested that their response not be published.
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:30/01/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Flew in from ******* on December 25th,2022 evening when my flight from ********* to *****, my final destination, was cancelled due to mechanical issues. Could not be rescheduled until Dec 30th. Decided to use the hotel voucher that I received via email to stay overnight at the ******* Downtown. Was suppose to receive a voucher for cab once I confirmed hotel. Did not get cab voucher so paid for my own cab and saved receipt. Went to BC ferries Dec 26th, 2022 and returned home via personal pick up from *******. I requested refund for flight via email I had received and submitted cab and ferry receipts. My reimbursement was only for the flight from ********* to ***** and it was for $21.61. I have tried to contact WestJet via Instagram DM as WestJet suggests, but there is no correspondence and contacting WestJet to speak to a person is is virtually impossible. My concern is not being reimbursed for the above mentioned as well as there is no way that I only paid $21.61 for my flight portion from ********* to *****.

      Business Response

      Date: 06/02/2023

      The business responded to this complaint but requested that their response not be published.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:23/01/2023

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      It has been 43 days since West Jet lost my suitcase. I filed a report on December 10th. I have called them, contacted them via direct message on ******* and Instagram, and email. They tell me they have no information and they are processing claims in order received. Thats impossible. My claim was before the major weather event that shut ***************** down. They keep giving me the run around and refuse to answer any questions regarding my bag. My name is *******************************. My email is: ********************* (Husband, ***** email is: ******************* The only six letter code I see on my ticket is: ******. From: WESTJET AIRLINES / Delayed Bag Record Created / Reference: ********** / Name on Record: ******** / Missing bags: 1 I can also provide every message and response from West Jet if necessary. If BBB can help, Id be very grateful. Thank you for your time.

      Business Response

      Date: 02/02/2023

      The business responded to this complaint but requested that their response not be published.
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:23/01/2023

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I was denied boarding on my WestJet flight from *** to *** (booking number GSFLCW) on January 20, 2023 at 9:25 am despite arriving at the gate at final call. According to a ******* post from ***************** on January 20, an equipment issue was causing delays with security checks to the US. In addition to that, the ***** preclearance kiosks were not available, causing additional delays. Though I arrived at the airport at the recommended time, I still did not make it on my flight due to numerous delays that were not in my control. WestJet notifications were also not working, so I did not receive text messages or emails indicating that the flight was boarding. The WestJet agent at the gate, ******, did not offer us the option of taking the later flight for free or a change fee, so I was forced to book a separate flight with *** ******.

      Business Response

      Date: 02/02/2023

      The business responded to this complaint but requested that their response not be published.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 03/02/2023


      Complaint: ********

      I am rejecting this response because:

      Hello,

      Thank you for your response. I can certainly understand that companies have certain policies and rules. However, I did not feel like a valued customer when I was told that my only option was to pay $600 to get onto the next flight departing that day, when there clearly was space on this flight. Ive ******** additional evidence: my **** receipt showing that I arrived at the airport well in advance, a screenshot with the completely incorrect secure wait times from January 20, a tweet from *** on the morning of January 20 indicating that there were issues with the security systems, and a screenshot from WestJets website on the morning of January 20 indicating that your notifications were not working properly. I did not receive any notifications from WestJet regarding a final boarding call. 

      While security delays are not in your control, your notification system certainly is, as is your ability to allow for some flexibility when a customer has the odds stacked against them.

      * *** ********** **** ******* ********* **** **** ********************************** *** *** *** ******* **** ** ******* ******* ***** **** ** ****** ** **** *** ******** * ***** ********** *** **** ******** ** * ****** *********

      Thank you.

      Sincerely,

      *************************

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