WestJet Is Now Offering Refunds On Cancelled Flights But Not To Canadian Destinations

Travelling has been off the table for Canadians for weeks now. However, it hasn't always been easy to get the money back for a planned trip. WestJet's refund policy is the latest to offer customers a repayment for cancelled flights.

In an email to Narcity, a WestJet spokesperson wrote that the airline has started processing refunds to the original forms of payment for some international trips that were cancelled due to COVID-19.

"Guests with eligible tickets who booked directly with WestJet will have the option of changing their flights, receiving the full value of their flight in Travel Bank or accepting a refund to original form of payment," it reads.

This does not, however, apply to domestic flights within Canada, according to CTV News. Trips booked to Continental Europe, Mexico or the Caribbean are also not covered.

In addition, people who voluntarily cancelled their flights will also not be eligible for refunds on their original form of payment.

Customers who might have booked their trips through a travel agent will also have the option of getting a full refund or putting the cost of their tickets toward a future flight. They can also choose to rebook their flights with no change fee.

In May, WestJet announced that it would be extending its suspensions of domestic flights until July 4 and international and transborder flights until July 25.

Air Canada has similarly offered replacement travel vouchers that do not expire (a decision made following a class-action lawsuit against the airline).

Canada's Transport Minister had previously stated that airlines could end up failing completely if they began offering all of their customers full refunds on cancelled flights.

For now, it seems Canadian airlines are offering their customers the options that they can afford to give. Maybe people will get to fly again someday soon.