Entitled to a refund

liamc28

hi, so we booked America at the start of the year and booked flights separately. Our return flight has been booked with west jet. Obviously our other flights have been cancelled (we were supposed to be in America for two weeks now) how ever our return flight with west jet we are having issues with. We received an email regarding our flight saying they have changed our flights, in my eyes this is cancelling our original flights and just rebooked is on different flights with different days. Our original flight was supposed to be flying back at midday on the 11th Oct and doing one stop and then we would be landing on the 12th October. Their new itinerary which we find totally unacceptable even if we were going on holiday was to fly morning (around 7am) then having two stops and we wouldn’t be landing back In the U.K. until the 13th October. They had sent an email regarding these flights saying we can fly with them or receive refund in terms of points with west jet or receive full refund in terms of original payment. We thought great we will ring up and ask for refund back onto our credit card. Speaking to them, they are saying the full refund will only happen if they cancel the flights, which they have just rearranged. We are not happy with this and still want a refund back onto our card. Any help here would be great full. I’m going to ring back up next week. Thanks 

bagand96

Under EC261/2014 you would be entitled to a refund because your flight has been cancelled. Unfortunately though Westjet are not an EU airline, and the flight is not departing the EU, so EC261 does not apply here.

However that doesn't mean all is lost.  Research if there's any similar Canadian laws, although be mindful that the Canadian Government did say that voucher refunds were acceptable during the pandemic, in order to support airlines.  Maybe try your card provider, using the fact that in writing Westjet appear to have offered you a refund.

liamc28

bagand96 said:

Under EC261/2014 you would be entitled to a refund because your flight has been cancelled. Unfortunately though Westjet are not an EU airline, and the flight is not departing the EU, so EC261 does not apply here.

However that doesn't mean all is lost.  Research if there's any similar Canadian laws, although be mindful that the Canadian Government did say that voucher refunds were acceptable during the pandemic, in order to support airlines.  Maybe try your card provider, using the fact that in writing Westjet appear to have offered you a refund.

Hi thanks for your reply. We will be ringing up in a few days and if still no hope we will try the credit card company. So Just to let people no of the ridiculous new itinerary... our original was fly  11th Oct vegas 1:00pm To Calgary Then 11th Oct Calgary 7:30pm to London (land  11am on the 12th.
new itinerary, keeping in mind they have offered us no form of any food vouchers, anywhere to sleep or to change. Fly 11th Oct Vegas to LA 10am//// then LA to Calgary 11th Oct 1:20pm land 5:30pm/// fly 12th Oct Calgary to London 7:30pm And land 11am 13th. So a full 25 hours at an airport