News provided by The Star – link to full story and updates
By Rosa Saba Star Calgary Mon., Dec. 30, 2019
CALGARY—WestJet’s rules around compensation for changed flights aren’t clear enough, the Canadian Transportation Agency said Monday – underscoring a situation brought to light earlier this year by a pair of Alberta honeymooners.
Chelsea Williamson and her husband, Sean Fitzpatrick, became perhaps the first test case of Canada’s new air passenger protection regulations in July, when their WestJet honeymoon flight was changed without their knowledge.
The first part of the new regulations had come into effect just one week earlier, and seemed to imply the couple would be owed between $900 and $2,400 each for a case of “denied boarding.”
WestJet offered the pair $125 “WestJet dollars” each instead. Williamson took her complaint to the CTA, and the couple eventually settled with the airline in September for $900 each. In an email at the time, a WestJet spokesperson said the company recognized it had not met its obligations to Williamson and Fitzpatrick.
On Aug. 16, the CTA announced it was launching an inquiry into “whether the terms of WestJet’s tariff dealing with schedule changes and irregularities are just and reasonable” under the new regulations.
After Monday’s ruling, the CTA is ordering WestJet to revise its compensation tariffs to comply with the new regulations by March 18.
It said in a news release the current tariffs are not clear, and that after receiving a revision by WestJet, the agency will proceed with assessing the tariff itself.
The second part of the new Canadian regulations came into effect on Dec. 15. The new rules include details about passenger rights during tarmac delays, definitions of cases such as “denied boarding,” accessibility and lost or damaged baggage, among other things.
More to come (from The Star).