WestJet has been ordered to compensate passengers more than $2,000 following a dispute over a flight that was diverted to Victoria.
The BC Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) ruled in favour of the passengers after a disagreement regarding what WestJet had promised to cover in terms of costs incurred from the diversion.
According to the tribunal, the applicants, identified as RA, SB, and MB, had purchased tickets for a WestJet flight from Hawaii to Vancouver.
However, the flight was unexpectedly diverted to Victoria, causing a significant disruption.
The passengers claimed that a WestJet employee had assured them the airline would cover their hotel, travel, and food expenses resulting from the diversion.
Despite this, WestJet only partially reimbursed them.
WestJet argued that its ability to issue refunds was restricted by company policies and claimed it was only required to refund a portion of the ticket costs—calculated at just $16.17.
This amount represented the 1.16% of the journey that wasn’t completed, as the passengers were flown to Victoria instead of Vancouver.
However, the CRT disagreed with WestJet’s interpretation. The tribunal found that WestJet had misinterpreted its obligation and ordered a much larger payout.
According to the tribunal decision, the passengers landed in Victoria late on the evening of April 13th, 2023.
One WestJet employee reportedly told them that hotel rooms were reserved for families with young children and directed them to the help desk.
At around 12:30 a.m., another employee informed the passengers that no hotel rooms were available and that they would need to book their own accommodation, promising that WestJet would reimburse the costs.
The passengers found a hotel, incurring $784.90 in expenses for the room, meals, and transportation.
Although WestJet later emailed the passengers with alternate travel arrangements to Vancouver, the passengers opted for a refund.
WestJet confirmed it was processing the request, but only reimbursed $354.10 of the expenses, citing its policies.
The tribunal found that because a WestJet employee had promised full reimbursement for the passengers’ expenses, this was binding.
Furthermore, the tribunal ruled that when WestJet had mentioned a “flight-only itinerary” refund in an email, it was interpreted to mean the full cost of the flight, not just the 1.16% portion.
As a result, the airline was ordered to pay $1,395.18 as a full flight refund.
In total, WestJet was ordered to pay $2,080.81, which included the outstanding reimbursement and tribunal fees.
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