WestJet Offered This Guy A Bus Ticket After Cancelling His Flight & It Was For A 7-Hour Ride
"This is a joke, right?"
WestJet cancelled a flight from Calgary to Regina and offered passengers bus tickets.
A WestJet passenger was less than impressed when the airline offered him a bus ticket after his flight was cancelled.
Chris Henderson — a Saskatchewan-based musician — told Narcity he was in Alberta for a show and was due to take a WestJet flight from Calgary to Regina on Sunday, February 26. However, he received an email from WestJet to say the flight was cancelled and instead, there would be a bus leaving Calgary at 4:30 p.m.
The drive from Calgary to Regina takes around seven hours and 30 minutes, so around six hours longer than the one hour and 30 minute flight time between the two cities.
\u201cHahaha @WestJet , this is a joke right? \n\nCancel my flight and offer me a bus ticket from Calgary to Regina? Really?!?\u201d— Chris Henderson (@Chris Henderson) 1677455199
Henderson took to Twitter to call the airline out. "This is a joke right?" he said.
After discovering the proposed travel plans, Henderson said he waited in an hour-long line to speak to an agent at the airport to ask whether there would be any compensation offered for the flight and the agent said she didn't know for sure.
\u201c@LadyBockBock @WestJet I agree this is an example of first world problems, but that doesn\u2019t mean a person can\u2019t stand up for themselves. I\u2019m not taking a 9-hour bus ride when I paid for a flight, at least without being compensated/reimbursed.\u201d— Chris Henderson (@Chris Henderson) 1677455199
Henderson said he was lucky to be able to grab a seat on a flight the next morning, but added that several people who were also waiting with cancelled flights to Saskatoon and Regina ended up having to book flights for Tuesday and Wednesday.
"Others in line were looking at car rentals, but there weren't any available so WestJet couldn't offer that either," he said.
Henderson said he asked about hotel vouchers for staying an additional night but was told to book a room and submit the receipts to be reimbursed.
In a statement, WestJet said they apologized for the disruption guests experienced, adding the flight had been cancelled due to "unscheduled aircraft maintenance."
The airline said accommodation options were limited because of high demand for travel over the weekend and "significant weather events across Vancouver and Vancouver Island" which led to operational impacts and limited aircraft availability.
"Ground transportation was arranged to provide an immediate travel option for those who were unable to wait for an alternative flight option," WestJet added.