A wave of WestJet flight cancellations has left travellers at Edmonton International Airport (YEG) and beyond frustrated, with more than 130 flights cancelled across Canada since Monday.
Many passengers, including Donna Leslie, have experienced repeated cancellations, last-minute rescheduling, and limited rebooking options. Leslie, who was originally scheduled for an 8:45 p.m. flight on Tuesday, arrived at the airport Wednesday morning only to find her rescheduled flight had been cancelled again.
“I’m beyond frustrated,” she said, now facing a nine-hour wait for her next available flight.
WestJet issued a statement Wednesday attributing the disruptions to “extreme weather”, stating that due to limited availability on other flights, not all passengers could be rebooked immediately. The airline has promised full refunds for any passengers unable to travel within 48 hours, in line with Air Passenger Protection Regulations.
However, video footage from Calgary International Airport shows a WestJet employee telling stranded passengers they would not be rebooked and advising them to contact travel agents to book flights on other airlines—a move aviation advocates say is a clear violation of passenger rights.
Dr. Gábor Lukács, president of Air Passenger Rights, slammed WestJet’s handling of the cancellations, stating that the airline is legally obligated to rebook affected travellers, even if it means purchasing tickets on competitor airlines.
“WestJet is required to rebook passengers on its own or partner airlines within a set timeframe, or if that’s not possible, buy tickets on other airlines—even if they don’t have agreements with them,” Lukács said.
He pointed out that seats were available on Air Canada, which suggests WestJet “systematically breached its obligations” by failing to accommodate displaced passengers.
This is not the first time WestJet has been under scrutiny. In 2024, the airline was fined $150,000 by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) for failing to rebook passengers during a previous incident.
Lukács argues that such fines are too small to be an effective deterrent.
“When an airline can ignore the law and only pay a $150,000 fine, it’s still more profitable for them to disobey the rules,” he said.
Lukács encourages affected travellers to document delays and cancellations and stand their ground when seeking compensation. He advises passengers who haven’t been rebooked within 48 hours to purchase tickets on another airline and bill WestJet.
“If they refuse to pay, give them 30 days to do the right thing. If they don’t, take them to small claims court,” he said.
More information on air passenger rights can be found on the websites for Air Passenger Protection and the Canadian Transportation Agency.