WestJet delayed or cancelled your flight? Here's what you're owed.
WestJet is a large carrier under Canada's APPR, so the full compensation table applies: cash for controllable delays and cancellations, based on how late you actually arrived.
What WestJet owes you
| Arrival delay at destination | Delay / cancellation compensation | Denied boarding |
|---|---|---|
| 3 – 6 hours | $400 | $900 (under 6h) · $1,800 (6–9h) · $2,400 (9h+) |
| 6 – 9 hours | $700 | |
| 9+ hours | $1,000 |
These are the APPR large-carrier amounts — WestJet is a large carrier. Compensation is per passenger, and it is owed in money, not just vouchers, unless you agree otherwise.
The three buckets — the cause decides
Within the airline's control (crew, maintenance, scheduling, most "operational" reasons): the amounts above are owed, plus meals and communication during the wait, a hotel if you're kept overnight, and rebooking at no charge.
Within control but required for safety: no cash compensation — but rebooking, meals and hotel (if overnight) are still owed. This is the most disputed bucket in Canada. The airline must explain, in writing if you ask, what made it a safety case. A bare "safety" label is not proof.
Outside the airline's control (weather, air-traffic control, security): no cash compensation; rebooking is still owed.
If a cancellation is within the airline's control and you take a refund instead of rebooking, compensation is a flat $400. For denied boarding, the airline must tell you your rights in writing and pay the same day, or within 48 hours if you've already departed on the alternative flight.
How to file with WestJet
- Keep everything: booking reference, boarding pass, the delay/cancellation notice, and receipts for anything you paid for during the wait.
- Submit the compensation request on westjet.com — Contact Us → compensation / flight disruption request. File in writing so the 30-day APPR response clock is running and you hold a record.
- State the facts: flight number and date, your arrival delay at the final destination, the reason WestJet gave, and the APPR amount from the table above.
- Save the confirmation and any reference number.
Deadlines that matter: file with the airline within 1 year of the flight. The airline has 30 days to respond. Denied, lowballed, or ignored after 30 days? File a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) — it's free, it's online, and CTA decisions bind the airline.
If WestJet says "safety" or offers a voucher
WestJet must explain the disruption's cause; "safety" without specifics is the single most fought-over word in Canadian APPR claims, and the CTA decides contested cases for free. And compensation is owed in money — travel bank or vouchers are your choice to accept, never the airline's to impose. If the first answer is no, a CTA complaint with your documents in order is the standard next step.
Run your flight — free, 30 seconds
The checker tests EU261, UK261, Canada APPR and US DOT at once and tells you the amount, the deadline and where to file. If you're owed, the Ready-to-Send Claim writes the letter for you — free for the founding cohort, and you keep 100% of the payout.
Check my flight →Information only, not legal advice. Amounts are the statutory figures; the disruption's cause decides real cases. Delay Wages is not affiliated with any airline or regulator.