WestJet offers refunds to passengers with cancelled European flights

WestJet is offering refunds to customers with European flights cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Travellers with flights to or from Europe and scheduled to depart between March 1 and Oct. 31 of this year can be reimbursed within four weeks, according to an update sent by WestJet to travel agents this month. The policy marks a shift from the airline’s previous stance that offered flight credit or no-fee rebooking rather than reimbursement for trips that were cancelled as airlines halted the majority of their flights amid border shutdowns, quarantines and a collapse in travel demand. WestJet is contacting guests with eligible flights who had already accepted travel credit to alert them to the new option, spokeswoman Lauren Stewart said in an email. In June, WestJet adopted a similar approach to refunds for cancelled flights to or from the United States or United Kingdom. The carrier’s policy stands in contrast to that of Air Canada, which has announced refund offers for travellers with flights departing from Europe but not for customers whose trips originated in Canada. WestJet did not say what prompted the policy change.<br/>