Westjet Ordered To Pay Two Thousand Dollars In Compensation After B.c. Tribunal Rejects Airline’s Weather Related Cancellations: Here’s What You Need To Know Now

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

WestJet has been ordered to salary much than $2,000 successful compensation to 2 passengers pursuing a ground-breaking determination by a British Columbia (B.C.) tribunal, which dismissed nan airline’s statement astir upwind based formation cancellations. The ruling provides an penetration into nan airline’s deficiency of capable grounds for cancelling nan flights. This lawsuit is simply a bully reminder of nan authorities and obligations of passengers and airlines nether Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations.”

The Background of nan Dispute

Nathan and Leah Baugh, who were passengers connected an craft travelling from St. John’s to Vancouver, person been embroiled successful a rocky recreation situation, members of which took spot connected March 7, 2022. They were later advised by an hose typical that their 72-hour stopover successful Toronto arsenic portion of their formation was eliminated from their booking owed to nan pandemic, and they had to motion up for an earlier, much costly flight. WestJet said nan cancellation was weather-related and blamed a wintertime large wind and winds that were blowing 62 km/h successful St. John’s. But nan deficiency of a bona-fide grounds from nan hose led nan tribunal to not beryllium swayed by this argument.

The Claim and nan Airline’s Response

WestJet contended that upwind conditions successful St. John’s connected March 6 rendered it unsafe to tally nan flight. The upwind was besides nan origin of nan formation from Toronto to beryllium late, and truthful they cancelled it, nan hose besides stated. But nan passengers had powerful grounds that challenged nan mentation of nan airline.

The Baughs provided a taped telephone speech pinch a WestJet representative, who told them nan cancellation was a scheduling issue, not weather. WestJet had not disputed nan telephone telephone but said it stood by its position nan cancellations were owed to bad weather. The passengers besides included a screengrab that indicated different airlines had been capable to alert retired of St. John’s International Airport connected nan aforesaid day, suggesting nan upwind was specified arsenic not to make it intolerable to run a formation safely.

The Tribunal’s Judgment: Balance of Probabilities Don’t Favour Weather Claim

After an exhaustive study of nan evidence, nan B.C. civilian solution tribunal ruled successful favour of nan Baughs, awarding nan mates $1,000 each successful compensation. The tribunal dismissed nan airline’s “highly technical” evidence, which was made up of meteorological information and unfamiliar acronyms that were not adequately explained. Tribunal personnel Max Pappin noted that nan hose hadn’t called immoderate master witnesses to explicate nan information aliases really it was applicable to nan flight’s safety. The tribunal besides ruled that nan hose grounded to nutrient capable grounds to found that upwind conditions rendered nan cognition of nan formation unsafe.

Many of nan grounds that we were fixed was unexplained acronyms, codes, and numbers that meant very small to us. “The aerial statement did not lead immoderate master grounds successful support of it’s claims arsenic to safety.”

Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations

According to Canada’s APPR, airlines must connection compensation to passengers if their formation is delayed by 9 hours aliases much arsenic a consequence of airline-controlled factors. Weather cancellations are different exception, but only if nan hose tin show nan upwind was specified that it made it intolerable to safely run nan flight.

On this point, WestJet did not meet nan onus of impervious to trust connected nan upwind objection because nan proceedings judged recovered that. Accordingly, nan hose was liable for compensation further highlighting nan necessity for clear and unambiguous impervious from airlines erstwhile refusing to alert owed to formation cancellation.

WestJet’s Reaction and Legal Implications

In consequence to nan ruling, WestJet said nan formation cancellations were required for safety, but added that it would travel nan tribunal’s decision. The hose besides said it is examining really it handles cancellations and enhancing connection pinch passengers.

This determination is simply a statement of be aware to airlines successful position of what is required by them nether Canadian rule and highlights nan request to support transparent and reliable evidentiary records erstwhile claiming cancellations based connected safety. ”It besides makes clear nan expanding domiciled of tribunals successful arbitrating airline-passenger disputes and protecting consumers.”

Conclusion: A triumph for passengers’ rights

For aerial recreation consumers, this is simply a large win, particularly successful position of making judge airlines are responsible for cancellations and delays. The determination emphasizes nan airlines must coming tangible and understandable grounds to support their decisions. With nan hose manufacture expected to expand, specified cases could beryllium pivotal successful defining rider authorities and responsibility.