Canadian family denied compensation after 40-hour WestJet travel delay
For Lara Smith and her family, what was supposed to be a routine WestJet flight home from Palm Springs to Calgary turned into a 40-hour delay with no compensation.Ā
After spending some time in Palm Springs, Smith was scheduled to fly back to Calgary on March 2, 2026, but she says the flight was delayed due to a lack of crew.Ā
āWe were scheduled on a 10 a.m. flight on March 2. The flight had repeated delays and was ultimately cancelled.ā
Smith and her family remained at the airport awaiting updates, and she says it wasnāt until 1:30 p.m. that they were told the flight would be rebooked for 8:30 a.m. the following morning.
āThere was no one to talk to at the gate. We were advised to call WestJet,ā she said, noting it was a busy time in Palm Springs, making accommodations difficult to find.
With limited hotels, Smith says they secured their own room for the night. She later received a hotel voucher from the airline, but says it came too late, after they had already made arrangements.Ā
The following morning, on Monday, March 3, Smith arrived at the airport with her family for their rescheduled flight. However, she says the plane attempted two departures before the flight was eventually disembarked.Ā
In a statement to Daily Hive, WestJet said the most significant factor involved in the delay was related to unscheduled aircraft maintenance.
Pascal Huot/Shutterstock
āFrom that point forward, there was no communication regarding the next steps,ā she said. āAt the gate, they said the flight would likely be rebooked the next morning, but there was no confirmation either way on what we were supposed to be doing.ā
With no clear direction, Smith says they were advised to call WestJet to explore their options. After getting through to an agent, she says the family was offered an alternative route home through Vancouver, scheduled to depart later that day.Ā
Smith says the WestJet agent she spoke with also mentioned that if their previous direct flight to Calgary managed to take off later that day, there would be no issue with them boarding that one instead. After going ahead and rebooking the Vancouver to Calgary route, an announcement indicated the original flight would be leaving after all.
When they returned to the gate in hopes of boarding, Smith says they were turned away. āThey said, āSorry, you can’t get on this flight because you’re rebooked,āā she said, adding that their luggage had already been loaded onto the plane.
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The family ultimately travelled home via Vancouver, arriving in Calgary around 2 a.m. on March 4, roughly 40 hours after their originally scheduled arrival time.
Since then, Smith says she has reached out to WestJet seeking compensation for the delay and related out-of-pocket expenses. However, her claim was denied, with the airline citing āunscheduled maintenanceā as the cause of the disruption.
WestJet says, āUnscheduled maintenance events are categorized per the APPR (Air Passenger Protection Regulations) as disruptions which are within the carrierās control but required for safety purposes. This APPR category does not qualify for compensation for inconvenience.ā
Smith disputes that explanation, saying that the reason they were unable to fly out the first day was due to a lack of crew. According to Canadaās APPR, passengers may be entitled to compensation if a delay or cancellation is within the airlineās control and not required for safety.Ā
In cases where travellers arrive nine or more hours late, large airlines like WestJet can be required to pay up to $1,000 per passenger, though no compensation is owed if the disruption is deemed safety-related.