Passenger Rights Group Files Legal Action Over WestJet Reimbursement Policy

A Canadian non-profit organization is taking WestJet to court over a reimbursement policy it says misleads passengers about their legal rights when flights are delayed or cancelled.
APR argues that no such limits exist under either the Montreal Convention or Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations, and is seeking an injunction against WestJet to block the alleged policy until a trial can determine the outcome.
The group says passengers have a right to claim other expenses incurred such as lost wages, cell phone roaming, and money lost on prepaid events, like game or concert tickets.
In the court documents, APR said it wrote WestJet a letter in July to find a solution out of court, but that the airline ignored the letter.
The lawsuit says that the airline already has a legal obligation to cover passengers’ expenses and the WestJet guidelines conflict with those agreements.
WestJet disagrees, saying its reimbursement guidelines are not contrary to the agreements.
In its response, WestJet said that it changed the guidelines list on its website, but said that did not mean it was liable.
“WestJet says that the [Air Passenger Protection Regulations] and the Canada Transportation Act do not govern compensation in situations where passengers have booked their own accommodation. WestJet further says that the APPR do not stipulate specific amounts payable to passengers for accommodations,” the company said in its defence.