Stranded WestJet passengers threaten legal action against airline
Global News
Dissatisfied WestJet and Swoop passengers are calling on the airlines to compensate them after many travelers were left stranded in Canada and in foreign countries.
The waves made in anticipation of a potential WestJet pilot strike have left many disgruntled passengers after the airline cancelled hundreds of flights on May 18.
Although WestJet reached a tentative agreement and avoided a strike, the preemptive cancellations left many travelers stranded across the globe. Some of those passengers are now considering legal action, citing poor communication from the airline and a “disgusting” lack of regard for their plight.
Wendy Coutts from Calgary was stuck in Dublin. On Twitter, she voiced her concerns over the lack of communication, a complaint that was echoed by several dissatisfied passengers on the airline’s Twitter feed.
Coutts said without a phone, she relied on WestJet’s online chat and never got a response. She booked a flight home to Calgary on May 23 and says she will be out of pocket thousands of dollars over and above what the refund from WestJet will be.
“WestJet still hasn’t offered to rebook us on another airline and they have never said, ‘Go ahead and rebook yourselves and we will cover any extra costs,'” said Coutts.
Global News reached out to WestJet by email and the company said: “We sincerely apologize to every guest whose travel plans were impacted as a result of labour negotiations and appreciate their patience over the May long weekend as we ramped up our operations as efficiently and safely as possible.”
Gillian McGrath’s son was stranded at Heathrow Airport in London after flying in from Shannon Airport in Ireland.