'We were left hanging': Family denied compensation after delayed, missed flights
After delaying their vacation for over two years during the pandemic, Steve Torgerson, his wife, three kids and mother-in-law finally got to take their trip to Liberia, Costa Rica during Easter break in April.
The group’s plane leaving Costa Rica needed the air conditioning fixed before leaving the tarmac, causing a delay to the departure. When the family landed at Toronto Pearson Airport later that night, they were told they would miss their connecting flight to Calgary and subsequent flight back to Regina.
Torgerson said neither WestJet nor any other airlinad any flights available for another few days.
“It was surprising that the company really left us hanging,” he said.
Torgerson said he understood there were no flights available but the airline would not provide his family hotel or food vouchers.
WestJet told CTV News in a statement, “The delay was following takeoff as a result of events outside of WestJet’s control.”
“We then thought it would be cheaper to rent a car than hang around in Toronto for a couple days and pay for a couple hotel rooms,” said Torgerson.
The group then drove from Toronto back to Regina.
When he returned home, Torgerson called the airline for a refund on the flights he did not take. WestJet issued him a credit of $484.87 per customer.
Air Passenger Rights is an organization which helps flyers with claims like Torgerson’s. President and Founder Gabor Lukas said a credit is not a refund.
“If you pay cash, you should get cash back,” he said. “They could give you a cake or flowers or anything. That’s not a refund.”
Lukas believes WestJet should pay for the excess expenses Torgerson incurred by failing to provide the passengers with the obligations under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR).
“They are also on the hook for the passenger’s expenses to get home,” he said.
Torgerson is battling with WestJet for compensation on the rental car, fuel and food costs he incurred to get home.
“These events happened outside of WestJet’s control,” the airline said. “Unfortunately, they did not qualify for compensation under the APPR.”
“It makes me consider not spending the $3,000 credit because I don’t know if I feel comfortable in flying with WestJet,” said Torgerson.
Torgerson has taken his claim to the Canadian Transport Agency in hopes of recovering some of the costs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.