WestJet cuts service to Atlantic Canada and Quebec City
 

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0687e5ab53.png


Full article

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/westjet-cuts-1.5761526

A link with frequencies here.

Planned service in Atlantic Canada as of Nov. 2, 2020:

Halifax – Toronto 2x daily

Halifax - Calgary 9x weekly

Halifax – St. John's11x weekly

The Atlantic Bubble has some benefits, and some drawbacks too....

Ironically, YYC-YHZ is an increase over what's flown now. It also switches to a red-eye flight ex. YYC.

And still no refunds for the impacted flights, gotta shell out extra money to book your replacement flight with the other airline.

Such scammers :mad:

If they would just give full refunds when they cancel the flights, I would book now for Christmas. The airlines are not doing themselves any favours. No wonder why people are not buying tickets.

Several BNN videos on the subject.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/westjet-...nada-1.1508042

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/video/pa...sident~2055223

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/video/ai...an-lee~2055191

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/video/af...sident~2055188

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/video/we...canada~2054811

I would not have expected a refund, but would have expected WS to rebook onto AC or whoever is operating the flight. Are they not rebooking as required to get their customers to where they have to be.

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QUOTE:

"WestJet says customers will get travel credits, and since it may be years before they return to a customer’s city they “will extend the travel credit expiry date” beyond 24 months. WestJet may never return to some cities, may never return with service that works for a customer, and years into the future the name of the game is breakage. Indeed, customers may actually die while waiting to use their WestJet credits.

Yet the airline “notes the Canadian Transportation Agency has deemed acceptable given the realities of COVID-19” to offer flight credits and not refunds. Perhaps this brazen move will challenge that earlier guidance."

https://viewfromthewing.com/westjet-...omers-refunds/

The full statement from the CTA wasn't quite so affirming, and they're being sued over that too.

“While any specific situation brought before the CTA will be examined on its merits, the CTA believes that, generally speaking, an appropriate approach in the current context could be for airlines to provide affected passengers with vouchers or credits for future travel, as long as these vouchers or credits do not expire in an unreasonably short period of time (24 months would be considered reasonable in most cases).”

https://simpleflying.com/canada-refunds-lawsuit/

Hopefully what they'll do here is make an exception for the totally cancelled stations like AC did - some of the only refunds Canadians have got from AC are for flights to the cancelled outstations in Atlantic Canada.

I don't buy AC cash tickets except if it's refundable and it's very reasonable for Comfort fares. WestJet really needs a refundable economy fare. I tend to agree if the airline is leaving your airport altogether you should get a refund as it's just not reasonable for you to ever use that credit. I don't, however, feel sorry for Atlantic Canadians who lament the lack of competition but yet continue to restrict travel to their region. What did they expect would happen? No one can travel in so yeah, the planes are empty.

I would expect WS to give people the choice of being rebooking onto the equivalent flight on AC (Porter etc.) or a full refund.

Porter has been grounded since March. It would be a refund - they would not pay their competitors for this.