As its flight schedule returns to plan, WestJet continues to deal with the fallout from its recent labour strike, with efforts being made to compensate its customers.
The airline's latest press statement includes that while not obliged to under APPR, they have, in some cases, provided coverage for WestJet passengers' hotel rooms while stranded.
On 05JUL, they issued the following update:
“WestJet is operating in compliance with the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), which require that in the event of a flight cancellation, alternate travel arrangements be provided to guests within 48 hours. If this is not possible, guests are entitled to request a refund to their original form of payment.
Under the APPR, compensation for hotels and meals is not required for situations outside of a carrier's control. The courts have held that the declaration of a strike marks the onset of a labour disruption. Therefore, flights disrupted due to a strike declaration and the strike itself are considered outside of a carrier’s control. Despite this, WestJet went above and beyond its APPR obligations in certain instances and provided hotel nights for guests stranded abroad.
WestJet is obligated to respond to APPR claims received within a 30-day period. Guests are invited to submit a claim for eligible expenses via WestJet.com.
For more information regarding the APPR, guests are encouraged to visit the Canadian Transportation Agency’s website.”
However, not all WestJet pax are happy with the efforts that are being made by the airline, as evidenced by multiple stories on social and broadband media, due to the scale of inconvenience that was experienced over the Canada Day long weekend.
