WestJet Reviews 1,373

They cancelled my direct flight at the last minute without giving me a voucher for food or a hotel. I had to stay overnight at L.A. Airport with all my checked luggage. They rebooked me on other flights. I had to fly around with two flights instead of one, and it took 11 hours to arrive late at my destination. After I filed 2 claims, one for food $40 USD and 1000 CAD for over 9 hours arriving late, compensation is indicated in the law. I missed my work on the next day. After 4 months of processing, they only agreed to pay $30 USD for me; the other claim was refused. Terrible Airline. It's very difficult to contact them, too. It's such a bad experience.

I never imagined I’d be writing a public review like this, but my recent experience with WestJet has left me heartbroken, frustrated, and incredibly disappointed.

My mother was recently diagnosed with cancer in Manitoba. Her condition has been rapidly declining, and we made the decision as a family to relocate her to British Columbia, where she has now been accepted into BC Cancer Care. She will be living with me in Victoria so I can support her during treatment.

I had already made two trips to Winnipeg over the past month and a half to help my sister care for her. I returned to Victoria for my own surgery on June 25. Before all of this unfolded, I had pre-booked a set of flights: a one-way flight to Winnipeg for July 15 and a return flight on WestJet flight WS 469 (UltraBasic fare) on July 23.

Once we got the call confirming my mom’s BC Cancer appointment for July 25, we knew this would be the time to move her. I contacted WestJet and asked if I could change the name on my July 23 return flight from myself to my mom. I explained the situation in full—her cancer diagnosis, my own surgery, our travel history, and that I was willing to pay a fee to make the name change. I even planned to purchase an additional ticket for my sister to escort her.

The answer from WestJet was a cold and definitive “no.”

I understand there are fare rules, but we’re not talking about changing the destination, time, or even asking for a refund. I simply wanted to put my mother—who urgently needs to get to BC Cancer—into a seat I already paid for. That seat will now fly empty while we scramble to find alternate travel for her.

What happened to the WestJet that Canadians used to love for its empathy, flexibility, and people-first approach? I know that under WestJet’s former ownership, this request would have been met with understanding. Today’s WestJet feels cold, profit-driven, and unwilling to show even basic compassion during a medical emergency.

This experience has added unnecessary stress during one of the most difficult times in our lives. I hope WestJet reconsiders how it applies its policies—because right now, it’s not the airline that so many of us used to trust.

Reservation YJXAFG: flight 622 Calgary to Ottawa on 23 June 2025, WestJunk changed the gate from D71 to D81. Why? Because they changed the aircraft to a 737-800/8 with extra seats jammed into a 3x3 configuration to slam in more passengers and make more money. I had a reservation in Premium. So much for that fantasy. No meal, only water and Krispy Kernels Pretzels (“packaged in Canada from imported ingredients”).
As usual on this No-Fix-Em airline, the seatback on 1A kept flopping back into my face. The guy kept telling crew it was broken, They kept telling him to put it upright. I reclined my seatback, but my knees (like every other adult) were still up against the seat frame.
Cabin crew led by "Janice" shouted at passengers on boarding and placing luggage because of the tight spaces inside their replacement aircraft with extra passengers. She then made stupid jokes and on landing late in Ottawa said she could not hear clapping. You got that right. Take your comedy act to the stage, lady. Try to treat passengers with respect. Zip it and try to be pleasant.
I want a refund to my credit card (not a useless voucher) for WJ’s dismissal of my Premium reservation so they could cram more passengers into a replacement cattle car and make more money. Filled out their online complaint form because WestJunk refuses to make any human contact. I had not flown WJ for a few years. Now I know why.

This airline is a scam. Their app gave us incorrect information on which terminal to fly out of, and it caused us such a delay that we were late to check-in (where there was zero personnel) and missed our flight. They refused to help us rebook, even for a fee, and just kept saying it was a "loss of funds." So now we're stranded in a foreign country and no one from their team even tried to help.
They also said that 99% of the flight was able to board without issue, but we know that's not true because we were in a group of 7-8 people looking for someone to check us in.
Trust me, this is a budget airline, but you can't afford to fly with them.
Also their food sucks.

Cancelled flight and horrendous after service. One member of staff to deal with all clients at airport.
Unable to contact airline who tried to downgrade us. Will never use them again . Awful customer service!

I used to like dealing with Westjet, but with my latest attempted booking I am done - never again. I tried booking flights yesterday evening but their website wasn’t working (just grinding) so I finally gave up. I tried again today and finally finished the booking, including seat selections and provided my credit card info- but the payment wasn’t accepted. I input my payment details again and the response I got was that it may have worked, but if in 3 hours you don’t get an email, phone costumer service. I phoned and now I can’t get the flights for the same price, the cost has gone up by over $700. So I guess I won’t be flying with Westjet.

I booked a flight, but I contacted them to request a refund because the flight I booked was for my 33rd week of pregnancy, but I have not heard back.
I can't contact them on their website, and I have not received a response to my email.
Other people have said to never use this company, and I understand why. They don't have customer service.
My flight is on August 7th, and I cancelled two months ago and have not heard back from them. My reservation number is BCA-7535387.
Do not use this company. They do not give refunds.
If I get a refund, I will post a good review, and if I don't, I will continue to post fraudulent articles about this company.

Avoid this airline at all costs- there are many alternatives that will honour their obligations which WestJet never does. Had a very clear claim for a cancelled flight from UK that fell under EU EC261 legislation but WestJet lied and prevaricated and even try to ignore a claim via small claims court. They are not interested in your loyalty for being fair to their customers and you travel with them at your peril. If they cut corners with customer service to this extent then you wonder how safe their aeroplanes are.

I flew WestJet for a round trip between San Diego and Calgary in June 2025.

Pros
Affordable pricing: One of the cheapest options for my route.
Clean aircraft: Planes were tidy and well-maintained.
Nonstop flight: Direct service to Calgary was a major plus.
Family-friendly boarding: Families with children were allowed to board early, which was appreciated.

Cons
No WiFi: Neither leg of the flight offered in-flight connectivity.
Underwhelming food: Snack and meal options for purchase were mediocre.
Inefficient check-in:
- Long, slow-moving lines at the service desk. The staff showed little urgency in moving the line. In comparison, Alaska and American Airlines at the same terminal had much shorter lines and smoother check-in.
- No kiosk-printed bag tags for international flights.
- TSA PreCheck boarding passes couldn’t be issued online or at the kiosk, forced to use the service desk.

Delays & Staffing
My flight from San Diego was delayed over an hour. The delay was explained professionally by a staff member who cited staffing shortages.

Verdict
I’d consider flying WestJet again for the price, especially on direct routes, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. The lack of WiFi and check-in inefficiencies detract from what could be a more competitive flying experience.

Issues with my compensation after delays from London to Calgary. They claim they’ve paid a company that’s dealing with it and the company has said otherwise. Westjet now not replying. They use a secondary party to send the money they claim, but it just delays everything.

Booked Premium economy 9 months prior to my our flight from Fort Lauderdale to Toronto.
Printed boarding pass and found we were in Economy.!!
Purser unable to rectify situation and said to take it up with WestJet when we got home.
Got an email when we got home saying SORRY, no reason given.
Money difference was put in WestJet's reward fund not my credit card.

It was so cold on the plane that I felt a pain in my nose, my nostrils hurt. Today my tonsils, sinuses and left ear hurt. I don't see the reason for our freezing if I paid for a pleasant flight.

If I could. Give no stars I would, thanks for ruining our holiday by changing the plane at the last min and not allowing us to sit together and putting on a crap old. Plane u hired and that business class, absolutely appalled at the air industry and u hope u go bust

First time with Westjet and never again. Flight Vancouver to Heathrow. 2nd leg from Calgary over 8 hours so booked extra legroom. Day before e mail to say flight cancelled. In fact obviously had subcontracted it to company called Privilege. So no extra legroom seats and shoved into squashed uncomfortable seats. No air vents up above so very hot. Airplane so old even had ashtrays in it. And the staff were quite appalling. 4 men who had no interest in their customers and couldnt be bothered with anything. Safety instructions hardly performed, no checking during turbulence. They really were the absolute pits. If you asked for water or milk in your coffee you were obviously just a bloody nuisance to them. I have honestly in all my years of travel never come across such an uncomfortable flight with such appalling staff. I'm afraid WestJet you have lost us as customers and I am telling everyone I meet not yo touch them with a barge pole. If you offload your customers onto someone else then at the very least ensure they are on the same level of comfort on plane and basic staff courtesy. Quite disgusting all round.

Absolutely Horrible Experience with WasteJet – Never Again!

If I could give zero stars, I would. My direct flight WS514 from Kelowna to Toronto, scheduled at 11:30 PM, was canceled last minute without any reasonable explanation. Instead of offering a comparable solution, WestJet rebooked me on an absurd itinerary the next morning: flight WS3345 from YLW to YVR at 5:55 AM – which was again delayed by an hour.

I then had a ridiculous 6.5-hour layover in Vancouver before my connecting flight WS714 to Toronto, which also got delayed at boarding by another hour. That’s three delays and one cancellation for what was originally supposed to be a simple direct flight. No compensation, no apologies, no support – just generic messages and complete disregard for my time.

I lost an entire day, had to deal with sleep deprivation, and missed important commitments. WestJet has proven to be completely unreliable and poorly managed. Save yourself the headache – fly with literally any other airline.
Wastejet
#westjet

Flight delayed 2 hours, and it is my fault after I promised to never fly with them again after watching them bump a senior lady off a flight for cleaning her seat with disinfectant. Fool me twice shame on me.
OMG after waiting almost 5 hours the steward threatened to cancel the flight if he did not get 15 people to pre-check their bags. Interesting business model.

when I got on there was shit on my seat they said it wasn't a big deal and when I was standing I heard gunshots and then I got off the plane and saw blood in the jets

We recently filed through WestJet and got Very disappointed with the cabin crew's rude behavior. Poor attitude and lack of basic courtesy. Expected much better service.
We were with family and the attendant does understand that kids didn't get comfortable while flying and she told us every few minutes that don't do this don't do that.
Learn basic behaviour cabin crew.

I can not give them zero stars or I would. I paid $200 extra for a EARLY DIRECT FLIGHT and I they changed it to a stop over. I requested my $200 back and they refused. So, I basically donated the money since I get nothing in return. Michelle was a useless agent and would not help, would not transfer my call or give me a refund or credit. Don't waste your time or money with this airline. Their passengers are clearly not a priority.

Flew premium economy. Seats cracked, cabin very worn, seat pitch so tight I would have been crushed if the person in front of me reclined and I am not a big guy. Not worth it even if it was free.