Being “nice” definitely costs money. The majority of infrequent travellers shop predominantly on price and are typically swayed by just $5 in ticket price difference and have virtually no loyalty to any airline, Basic Economy is the rigid ticket option designed just for them.

Bad press isn’t necessarily that detrimental in this case anyway, as has been demonstrated by Ryanair and Spirit Airlines over the years. No press is worse, as any press build awareness of a brand. If you look at comments relating to press articles, there is generally a balance between “should have got a refund” and “should have bought insurance” or similar.

The Values have changed.

https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/about-us/index

• Act like an owner
• Care from the heart
• Rise to the challenge
• Work together to win

If someone thinks like an owner , they do not just give away pieces of their income like it was a charity. Sorry , but again , it is a business with employees which depend on revenue to pay for their wages , and salary.

Caring is part of their business yes but caring always has to balance the health of a business as well and ensure a business is caring internally for their employees career stability.

Profit margins in the airline industry are cutthroat and if anyone with a finance background specializing in the airline industry can attest to, it is make or break. Asking an airline for free airfare because life got in the way is asking for charity period. It is.

Insurance companies created products for consumers to buy for these cases. use it. Westjet has not wavered its caring commitment in any way, as it has constantly supported communities as a whole during times of crisis in Canada and abroad ( ie forest fire evacuations, floods, etc. Westjet cannot help everyone with individual charity needs. It would bankrupt or result in redundancies at the organization.l eventually.

When you buy airfare, buy trip cancellation insurance, and be done with it. There is no stupid excuse .

can you state those airlines , post a link to their terms and conditions? id quite like to read those.

Okay yes death exceptions.

With Critical illness diagnosis exceptions for trip cancellation and full refunds with airlines, I am having no luck finding any black and white policy allowing exceptions to this situation in North America. Most likely because banks and insurance companies offer trip cancellation insurance to cover these spontaneous events. Simply put , not wide-spread , common place practice. However , there is only one in North America , that I have found thus far , United , of all airline ( eye roll) on a case by case basis, and only “certain” illness

https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/cus...bs-4-unplanned

Not industry common practice. South African
Airways for example only allows cases after a passenger has commenced their journey.


5.15 MEDICAL OR DEATH CERTIFICATES
As already explained, the minimum administrative fee applicable to all voluntary refunds will apply even to those travel documents which are requested to be refunded for medical reasons or death in the family.
A copy of the death certificate, and a certified declaration that the person requesting the refund is an immediate family member, will accompany the required refund documentation, which is submitted.
A medical certificate is only acceptable as a justification to consider the waiver of a cancellation fee in those exceptional cases that may occur only after a passenger has commenced his journey and is incapacitated or prevented to complete the remainder of the journey within the period of the validity of that exposed airfare. A copy of a hospital invoice may also be required.
In the above cases the validity of the travel document will be extended to the first flight available in the same class of service for which the airfare had been paid, no more than three months from the date shown on the medical certificate as the first permissible date to travel.
It is recommended that the passenger be advised and encouraged to take out a cancellation and curtailment insurance cover. The insurance cover
South African Airways Processing of Sales and Fare Audit Manual 2007
will protect and compensate for all those eventualities or penalties that will be levied to those airfares they have chosen to purchase. https://www.flysaa.com/za/en/Documen.../Section_5.pdf

I would not assume that. Ask an insurance broker. Td for example:

Hospitalization and Hospitalized means confinement in a hospital as an inpatient.
Inpatient refers to a person who must stay 24 hours as an admitted patient in a hospital for medical treatment.


Recovery Benefit
This benefit provides a payment equal to one day of hospital indemnity benefit and is payable upon release from hospital if an insured person:
􏰀 has been confined as an inpatient in hospital for at least two consecutive days

Cancer diagnosis is considered pre-existing condition. It is a diagnosis made after several consultations with medical professionals usually due to symptoms over a period of time.

TD Insurance for example:

What is Excluded?
We will not pay an insurance benefit for an insured person if that insured person's hospitalization:
􏰀 is related to an accident that occurred before the effective date;
􏰀 is in relation to a pre-existing condition; more specifically, an insured person's hospitalization:
o occurs within 24 months of your coverage effective date under this Certificate of Insurance; and
o is the result of an illness or condition for which you had symptoms or received medical consultation, treatment, care or services, including prescribed medication, during the 12 months prior to the start of your coverage (this is called a pre-existing condition).

The topic is wether an airline will refund a passenger based on an illness and on what ground would constitute that. we are not discussing wether a passenger is fit to fly.

no we are not discussing what warrants a passenger fit to fly.

we are discussing what warrants insurability or under what grounds would a passenger receive a refund . Even travel insurance won’t cover a pre-existing condition such as a cancer diagnosis in order to receive a refund for trip cancellation . therefore what make a person think an airline ought to? Because of human compassion ? hog wash. Then that same argument could be applied to every single medical life event such as HIV diagnosis or Ms diagnosis. Or i had a mental day and i dont or cannot travel because im stressed because i broke up with my girlfriend , at what point does this end? There is no such thing as compensation for everything. This guy has cancer and it is going to involve several treatments over the course of years possibly, not just that day he cannot travel. So should he now also go to the bank that has his mortgage or car loan and say i can’t pay because i just got diagnosed with cancer. This is why we take
out disability insurance for these life events .