WestJet passengers have accused the airline of using aircraft swaps tied to maintenance issues to avoid paying compensation for cancelled flights.
Under Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), airlines can be required to pay passengers up to 1,000 Canadian dollars (£535). This only applies when delays exceed nine hours, and the disruption is within the airline’s control and not related to safety issues.
Aircraft Swaps Raise Questions Over Compensation Claims
CBC’s Go Public identified at least 34 cases in which passengers were denied compensation after WestJet allegedly replaced scheduled aircraft with planes that had already been grounded for maintenance. In several cases, the replacement aircraft was assigned only minutes before the flight was cancelled.
One passenger, Brad Vanderwilk, filed for compensation but was later denied by the airline for:
“unscheduled maintenance required for safety.”
This category can exempt airlines from compensation payments under Canadian regulations. Several others asked WestJet for specifics on the maintenance issues, but received no further explanations. Vanderwilk was not provided another direct flight. Instead, the couple were rerouted through Victoria and ended up staying overnight. They arrived home 16 hours after their original schedule.
CTA Investigation Pursues
In a statement, WestJet commented that its decisions are made to minimise disruption for the largest number of passengers.
“WestJet acknowledges that unplanned aircraft maintenance is a normal part of airline operations, and related delays are categorised as required for safety,” it added.
The airline also said that Canada’s APPR framework recognises unplanned maintenance as safety-related.
Following the reports, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has launched an enforcement investigation into WestJet. In 2022, the CTA ruled against WestJet in a similar compensation dispute involving an aircraft swap.
Air Passenger Rights founder Gábor Lukács claimed the alleged practice could permit airlines to avoid tens of thousands of dollars in compensation payments for each cancelled flight.
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