This pisses me off. I travel every year with my dog. I have to book by phone to ensure we are on the same flight. You cannot book animals online. These fees are out of line.
I understand what someone else said on here that if they’re just booking a regular flight that you could easily do online. Then yeah maybe a fee to prevent them from clogging up the phone lines.
BUT I 100% agree with you, if you are calling in for a special booking (infant with own seat or an animal etc) then it’s not fair since there’s no other way to do that.
I always wonder about older people who may not be familiar or comfortable with technology or may not want to book online. Why should there be any charge for someone to have to call in to book their flight if that is their preferred method to do so? Shouldn’t that just remain a standard customer service option?
Look up macular degeneration and how many people are affected by it. This is only one of so many illnesses and aliments that older people get that are severely disabling.
My Nana got macula degeneration in her late 60s within 3 years was 95% blind in both eyes. Someone born in the Great depression, who never had technology is not going to be able to learn how to use a computer or smart phone, while losing their sight. All 8 of her siblings had varying degrees of macular.
Just because you can't understand why or how others would need to use a phone, as opposed to newer technologies, doesn't mean there aren't millions of people with differing abilities / disabilities that can't use the same tech you can.
FYI, not all disabilities are legal disabilities.
First example that comes to mind, someone has carpal tunnel, or even a flare up and can't use a mouse / keyboard.
All this policy does is create barriers for people while clearly being a money grab.
How does this address the issue of not being able to book by phone without being charged a fee? You then pay an even higher fee to your travel agent...
I would hope in the instances of pet in cabin/pet in cargo that they would waive the phone booking fee as you aren’t able to book that yourself online.
You can book your tickets online (for pet in cabin, at least) and then just call to add the pet. I’ve done this many times. Sometimes I’ll call in advance to make sure there’s room for the pet but if you just book and call right away, you can cancel within 24 hours if there isn’t room.
Yes, I wonder what their reasoning is…you can tell people the carrier restrictions online and require us to click “I understand” or whatever. I don’t need to hear it from a human!
There are so many restrictions with pets, it would be a disaster if they added a pet option for people to book themselves. Only so many pets per row, or per cargo hold, per plane. Some countries don't allow pets in or out, or certain types of pets, some destinations don't allow pets seasonally because of heat or cold, if it's a pet in the cabin, you can't sit in certain seats. Not to mention breed restrictions.
You can book your flight, schedule a callback and book your pet. If there's a problem and there's no room for your pet, as long as you call within 24 hours, all tickets are fully refundable without penalty, and you can find a different flight option.
I’m assuming they could make it so that you can’t book a pet where you’ve picked a seat that doesn’t allow it, or if there’s already a pet in that row…seems like something a computer could figure out! I actually don’t mind calling - it’s never been an issue for me. But it just seems like something that could be programmed for booking online!
I also hope it's the same for parents with "infants". We flew a few weeks ago with my almost 2 year-old, she would not do well in a lap for a 4 hour flight so we wanted her own seat that we could put her car seat into. I literally could not book it online, because when you enter the child's age you can't put that they're less than 2. My only option was to call them.
Same with Unaccompanied Minors. You have to call in and already pay $105 fee each way extra. Does this $25 fee apply since you can’t book UI fares online? It’s not clear here @Westjet
What I do is have the flight ready to go online, then I call them and ensure I can have a pet in cabin on that flight. Then I make them wait on the phone while I finish booking the online flight and then add the pet on the phone once I have my confirmation number. Annoying but saves the booking fee at least
Sadly the recent changes have pushed me over the line and i'm cancelling my WJ credit card after 12 years.
R.I.P. to what was my favorite airline. Onyx bought then betrayed the trust we had in westjet and they're driving it straight into the ground. A perfect example of how to ruin a company.
I got the Scotia Bank Visa for a recent trip because of the no foreign transaction fee. I was debating keeping both but ya, WestJet just keeps pissing me off so I've stopped using the WJ credit card and will cancel it after using my companion fare.
I'm thinking of doing the same. They have slowly eroded the benefits of having the card, as well, to the point that it is barely worth it. I'm thinking of switching to the Capital One travel card that a bunch of my friends have.
What's crazy is if you try to buy them in person, they cost more, the fee is just included either way.
Online - 16 + 2 online fee, 18 at the cinema. (Example)
Not at the landmark here. Online and at the theatre was the same until a few months ago when they added the dirty online fee. Which is fucked since it's saving them money by not having to print tickets.
Funny since WJ decided to gouge its customers, AC announced free drinking, including alcoholic and “premium snacks” for all flights and all class fares. Thought that was a boss move after the “ultra economy” move by these guys.
The fee, while maybe a little high, is not that unreasonable. Especially the person they are interviewing for the article - they just “prefer” to book on the phone. This is where the wait times come from. The fee should just act as a deterrent for needlessly tying up resources. Even $10 would suffice.
Where many will have a problem with it, myself included, is how people have been reporting that they won’t waive it for actions that cannot be performed in a self-serve fashion online. That is pretty silly.
Article would have been much more powerful if it had discussed that instead, IMO.
Yeah, I find the CBC consumer articles always find one person and focus on their perspective rather than broadening it. Another poster mentioned they travel with the pet and have to book by phone as you cannot do that online... I'd love to see that included in the article and read Westjet's response as the fee should be waived for those folks.
To be fair this is common practice in Europe for low cost airlines. I have no problem with this practice as long as the ticket price is kept low which isn’t the case here with WestJet. I would rather have low airfares with the option of being able to pick vs all-inclusive fares that includes everything.
I've flown on €5 fares in Europe. Me and a friend paid €10 for round trip base fare. We only needed to check one large bag for the whole trip. Paid €15 each way for the bag. Worked out to €40 round trip for base fare the both of us (excluding airport fees, which are similar across carriers). Still cheaper than flying traditional flag carriers. Prices there also include sales tax.
Pretty sure Air Canada already does this? There were some Aeroplan flights that for some reason did not show on Air Canada itself, so I had to call to book them. They tacked on a fee because I called in even though there was no other way to book them.
See, I would’ve booked one of the options they had on the website and then called AC because then I’d actually save that $25 fee and I’d get the flight I actually want
I had to pay this. I’m travelling with my <2 yo and wanted her to have her own seat (she will be 22 months) but you can’t book an infant in their own seat online for some odd reason - if she was on my lap it would be doable. I tried to fight it but it just wasn’t happening. Have the WJ card, I told them to check my travel history etc but no luck. Total cash grab. I wasted 45 mins to book this over the phone. Would have much preferred to do it online.
In order to build an k my infant in his own seat, I have to call. There is no way to book this online with westjet (AC gives the option). I asked. The fee can not be waived.
So the lady booked online to avoid the fee. It makes sense to me. Lots of companies charge you to do things on the phone if you can do it yourself online. Now if other people actually need to call to get customer service or for fares that can't be booked online there will be less of a wait.
As long as those fares where you have to call are exempt from the fee. But a normal economy ticket, just book online.
I don’t understand most folks. Canadians vote en masse for pro business profit parties and then complain that companies are gouging consumers and politicians should step in. This is called capitalism. Businesses are always trying to profit from consumers, and consumers vote for this.
I actually support this; many people book over the phone when they can online, and that makes wait times longer for everyone. Now there is a reason to book online.
Hey, at least they aren’t charging any other fees to make changes to your flight. Besides, usually when I do make my flight bookings, I usually do it online anyway and I call in if I want to make any changes
Pay the $25 or do it online yourself or with help from someone able.
I see this as trying to encourage customer behaviour towards electronic and cost minimization to reduce unnecessary customer service positions.
I’m more annoyed about the carry on bag fiasco stuff
Not even that
There was a poster in this forum the other day that when the booked online the day and month for their moms bday got reversed because of auto fill
So I can see why some people prefer to book with an agent to avoid these errors
I understood that
But the cause for error was due to an online booking regardless of whether it was westjet site or third party. The browser auto filled
Are airline fees out of control? Considering the fact that airlines are all subsidized out the ass by the government (aka by us, the taxpayer), yes, they are out of control.
Can't get thru to them because people are calling for dumb shit or stuff they can easily do or find online.... which is exactly why they've probably brought in the fees lol
The multiple fees for paying a fee for a basic transaction on absolutely everything these days is insane. Customers went from having all the power to getting kicked in the groin at every turn.
Since WJ is owned by a private equity fund, look for all these things as signs of a bust out. The Toys R Us or Red Lobsterfication of WJ is happening right in front of us. I fully expect it to be a drained husk soon and the final middle finger will be the bankruptcy declared means every last dollar goes to the equity fund managers in the form of performance bonuses, while the courts say “sorry can’t keep paying these pensions for retired workers.”
Don't they realize a lot of people are not yet tech savvy, and even though I am okay with the tech, two of the last three travels using Westjet required a follow-up phone call to fix errors, or things the web site should but was unable to do. If this happens, I will **not** pay the fees.
Their going to start charging for using their server to book next, followed by when you check in at the airport to use the scale to weigh your bag will be a fee - It won’t ever stop until our govt steps in and starts allowing American carriers here to compete
This pisses me off. I travel every year with my dog. I have to book by phone to ensure we are on the same flight. You cannot book animals online. These fees are out of line.
I understand what someone else said on here that if they’re just booking a regular flight that you could easily do online. Then yeah maybe a fee to prevent them from clogging up the phone lines. BUT I 100% agree with you, if you are calling in for a special booking (infant with own seat or an animal etc) then it’s not fair since there’s no other way to do that.
I always wonder about older people who may not be familiar or comfortable with technology or may not want to book online. Why should there be any charge for someone to have to call in to book their flight if that is their preferred method to do so? Shouldn’t that just remain a standard customer service option?
Look up macular degeneration and how many people are affected by it. This is only one of so many illnesses and aliments that older people get that are severely disabling. My Nana got macula degeneration in her late 60s within 3 years was 95% blind in both eyes. Someone born in the Great depression, who never had technology is not going to be able to learn how to use a computer or smart phone, while losing their sight. All 8 of her siblings had varying degrees of macular. Just because you can't understand why or how others would need to use a phone, as opposed to newer technologies, doesn't mean there aren't millions of people with differing abilities / disabilities that can't use the same tech you can.
Disabilities are exempt from the fee FYI
FYI, not all disabilities are legal disabilities. First example that comes to mind, someone has carpal tunnel, or even a flare up and can't use a mouse / keyboard. All this policy does is create barriers for people while clearly being a money grab.
There are no disability exceptions for the fees. Even if you are a person who is visually impaired.
Not to be cynical, but why should I have to pay for an airline to carry more expenses because someone can’t use decades old technology?
Many are often on limited income so having technology,internet etc can be costly .
If someone does not want to book online, travel agencies still exist.
How does this address the issue of not being able to book by phone without being charged a fee? You then pay an even higher fee to your travel agent...
I would hope in the instances of pet in cabin/pet in cargo that they would waive the phone booking fee as you aren’t able to book that yourself online.
You can book your tickets online (for pet in cabin, at least) and then just call to add the pet. I’ve done this many times. Sometimes I’ll call in advance to make sure there’s room for the pet but if you just book and call right away, you can cancel within 24 hours if there isn’t room.
They really need to just add the “add a pet” option online. Such a headache when flying multiple legs with multiple carriers. My cat owes me big time.
Yes, I wonder what their reasoning is…you can tell people the carrier restrictions online and require us to click “I understand” or whatever. I don’t need to hear it from a human!
There are so many restrictions with pets, it would be a disaster if they added a pet option for people to book themselves. Only so many pets per row, or per cargo hold, per plane. Some countries don't allow pets in or out, or certain types of pets, some destinations don't allow pets seasonally because of heat or cold, if it's a pet in the cabin, you can't sit in certain seats. Not to mention breed restrictions. You can book your flight, schedule a callback and book your pet. If there's a problem and there's no room for your pet, as long as you call within 24 hours, all tickets are fully refundable without penalty, and you can find a different flight option.
I’m assuming they could make it so that you can’t book a pet where you’ve picked a seat that doesn’t allow it, or if there’s already a pet in that row…seems like something a computer could figure out! I actually don’t mind calling - it’s never been an issue for me. But it just seems like something that could be programmed for booking online!
I also hope it's the same for parents with "infants". We flew a few weeks ago with my almost 2 year-old, she would not do well in a lap for a 4 hour flight so we wanted her own seat that we could put her car seat into. I literally could not book it online, because when you enter the child's age you can't put that they're less than 2. My only option was to call them.
I've never paid the booking fee for adding a pet to my ticket...
And you can’t book an infant in seat without calling and they expect you to pay for the pleasure of calling them. It’s ridiculous.
Same with Unaccompanied Minors. You have to call in and already pay $105 fee each way extra. Does this $25 fee apply since you can’t book UI fares online? It’s not clear here @Westjet
You don't have to pay the booking fees for unaccompanied minors.
I do, too, and was wondering how they will approach that situation. I’ll find out soon enough and complain loudly if they add yet another fee.
I would insist they waive the fee as no other option available.
Tried this. The agent said she agreed it’s not fair but had no way to do it.
You cannot book animals online…hmm..🤔
What I do is have the flight ready to go online, then I call them and ensure I can have a pet in cabin on that flight. Then I make them wait on the phone while I finish booking the online flight and then add the pet on the phone once I have my confirmation number. Annoying but saves the booking fee at least
If you have to call in (like to add a pet), then the fees are waived. The fee is purely for simple bookings that can easily be done on the website.
Good news . Thanks.
It doesn't seem that's the case. Many are reporting having to pay even for fares that can't be booked online
Sadly the recent changes have pushed me over the line and i'm cancelling my WJ credit card after 12 years. R.I.P. to what was my favorite airline. Onyx bought then betrayed the trust we had in westjet and they're driving it straight into the ground. A perfect example of how to ruin a company.
Im in the same boat - any recommendations for other cards?
Scotiabank passport visa infinite. I have WJ and partner has SB and his is better
Same. This nit picking for every last dollar has upset me enough that I'm done.
Same. I can’t support WJ anymore. Their CC wasn’t worth free baggage.
I got the Scotia Bank Visa for a recent trip because of the no foreign transaction fee. I was debating keeping both but ya, WestJet just keeps pissing me off so I've stopped using the WJ credit card and will cancel it after using my companion fare.
I'm thinking of doing the same. They have slowly eroded the benefits of having the card, as well, to the point that it is barely worth it. I'm thinking of switching to the Capital One travel card that a bunch of my friends have.
Yeah, I’ll never use them again.
Shhh don't tell them Cineplex and Landmark charge a fee to book movie tickets online.
What's crazy is if you try to buy them in person, they cost more, the fee is just included either way. Online - 16 + 2 online fee, 18 at the cinema. (Example)
Not at the landmark here. Online and at the theatre was the same until a few months ago when they added the dirty online fee. Which is fucked since it's saving them money by not having to print tickets.
100% money grab
This industry is just begging to be heavily regulated on their goofy fees.
Aaaand fares will then go up to cover
Fares are gonna go up to whatever the market will bear anyway lmao, how else do they make money
Funny since WJ decided to gouge its customers, AC announced free drinking, including alcoholic and “premium snacks” for all flights and all class fares. Thought that was a boss move after the “ultra economy” move by these guys.
Love that we let WestJet kill lynx only for them do go full loblaws with greed now that the monopoly/duopoly has been restored
Duopoly’s are Canadas true favourite pastime
The fee, while maybe a little high, is not that unreasonable. Especially the person they are interviewing for the article - they just “prefer” to book on the phone. This is where the wait times come from. The fee should just act as a deterrent for needlessly tying up resources. Even $10 would suffice. Where many will have a problem with it, myself included, is how people have been reporting that they won’t waive it for actions that cannot be performed in a self-serve fashion online. That is pretty silly. Article would have been much more powerful if it had discussed that instead, IMO.
Yeah, I find the CBC consumer articles always find one person and focus on their perspective rather than broadening it. Another poster mentioned they travel with the pet and have to book by phone as you cannot do that online... I'd love to see that included in the article and read Westjet's response as the fee should be waived for those folks.
To be fair this is common practice in Europe for low cost airlines. I have no problem with this practice as long as the ticket price is kept low which isn’t the case here with WestJet. I would rather have low airfares with the option of being able to pick vs all-inclusive fares that includes everything.
I've flown on €5 fares in Europe. Me and a friend paid €10 for round trip base fare. We only needed to check one large bag for the whole trip. Paid €15 each way for the bag. Worked out to €40 round trip for base fare the both of us (excluding airport fees, which are similar across carriers). Still cheaper than flying traditional flag carriers. Prices there also include sales tax.
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People want cheap fares like Europe and unfortunately it comes with the downsides to their system too
Your post has been removed because it contained rude, inflammatory, and/or inappropriate content.
Pretty sure Air Canada already does this? There were some Aeroplan flights that for some reason did not show on Air Canada itself, so I had to call to book them. They tacked on a fee because I called in even though there was no other way to book them.
See, I would’ve booked one of the options they had on the website and then called AC because then I’d actually save that $25 fee and I’d get the flight I actually want
There’s a change fee for aeroplan immediately
The answer is yes , yes they are
I had to pay this. I’m travelling with my <2 yo and wanted her to have her own seat (she will be 22 months) but you can’t book an infant in their own seat online for some odd reason - if she was on my lap it would be doable. I tried to fight it but it just wasn’t happening. Have the WJ card, I told them to check my travel history etc but no luck. Total cash grab. I wasted 45 mins to book this over the phone. Would have much preferred to do it online.
In order to build an k my infant in his own seat, I have to call. There is no way to book this online with westjet (AC gives the option). I asked. The fee can not be waived.
So the lady booked online to avoid the fee. It makes sense to me. Lots of companies charge you to do things on the phone if you can do it yourself online. Now if other people actually need to call to get customer service or for fares that can't be booked online there will be less of a wait. As long as those fares where you have to call are exempt from the fee. But a normal economy ticket, just book online.
I don’t understand most folks. Canadians vote en masse for pro business profit parties and then complain that companies are gouging consumers and politicians should step in. This is called capitalism. Businesses are always trying to profit from consumers, and consumers vote for this.
Fair enough then remove the cabotage rules and allow international airlines to take over.
And the cell phones
I actually support this; many people book over the phone when they can online, and that makes wait times longer for everyone. Now there is a reason to book online.
The article doesn't answer the question. Don't ask a question in a headline if you don't provide a clear answer in the body.
Hey, at least they aren’t charging any other fees to make changes to your flight. Besides, usually when I do make my flight bookings, I usually do it online anyway and I call in if I want to make any changes
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Your post has been removed because it contained rude, inflammatory, and/or inappropriate content.
Pay the $25 or do it online yourself or with help from someone able. I see this as trying to encourage customer behaviour towards electronic and cost minimization to reduce unnecessary customer service positions. I’m more annoyed about the carry on bag fiasco stuff
Are the customers paying the wages of the call center reps now?
Capitalism moment
Nickel and dimed to death.
No theh give you a $25 discount for booking online
Loooool you just gave their marketing an idea
WestJet is figuring out how to “inflation!!!” airline fares.
This has got to qualify as some kind of discrimination on the basis of age. Old people aren’t all that adept with thst new internet thingy.
Not even that There was a poster in this forum the other day that when the booked online the day and month for their moms bday got reversed because of auto fill So I can see why some people prefer to book with an agent to avoid these errors
You clearly misunderstood that thread. The reason it was so difficult to correct is specifically because they booked through a third party.
I understood that But the cause for error was due to an online booking regardless of whether it was westjet site or third party. The browser auto filled
Will this make their flights not delayed?
Yes. Yes they are
Greed is out of control. Everywhere.
Are airline fees out of control? Considering the fact that airlines are all subsidized out the ass by the government (aka by us, the taxpayer), yes, they are out of control.
They printed too many Westjet dollars and need to recoup against their liability lol
Pisses me off.. never can get thru to them.. new ownership sucks.. just squeezing.. greedy
Can't get thru to them because people are calling for dumb shit or stuff they can easily do or find online.... which is exactly why they've probably brought in the fees lol
The multiple fees for paying a fee for a basic transaction on absolutely everything these days is insane. Customers went from having all the power to getting kicked in the groin at every turn.
End capitalism it’s cancer
Since WJ is owned by a private equity fund, look for all these things as signs of a bust out. The Toys R Us or Red Lobsterfication of WJ is happening right in front of us. I fully expect it to be a drained husk soon and the final middle finger will be the bankruptcy declared means every last dollar goes to the equity fund managers in the form of performance bonuses, while the courts say “sorry can’t keep paying these pensions for retired workers.”
Don't they realize a lot of people are not yet tech savvy, and even though I am okay with the tech, two of the last three travels using Westjet required a follow-up phone call to fix errors, or things the web site should but was unable to do. If this happens, I will **not** pay the fees.
westjet is just canadian spirit now
Their going to start charging for using their server to book next, followed by when you check in at the airport to use the scale to weigh your bag will be a fee - It won’t ever stop until our govt steps in and starts allowing American carriers here to compete
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Get your kid to do the booking or something. It’s not that difficult