The couple that was prevented from boarding a WestJet flight in July and compensated $1,800 two months later is still criticizing the airline and the new law that aims to protect passengers.
Chelsea Williamson says she and her new husband were not allowed to get on their original flight to Italy for their honeymoon after an aircraft change the night before bumped them off the flight. Williamson claims they were not warned, and the couple was placed on another flight hours later.
WestJet says the flight change was because of aircraft maintenance and a schedule change.
The Williamsons filed a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency under the Airline Passenger Protection Regulations.
Chelsea and her husband were eventually compensated $900 each, but they believe it was not because of the new law.
"We did settle with WestJet informally," Williamson told CTV News Edmonton. "There wasn’t an official CTA ruling.
"My argument was sufficient. I was correct. They didn’t meet our obligations towards us."
Gabor Lukacs, the founder of Air Passenger Rights, says the couple was "put through hell to get what they were owed," and that the law didn’t completely help.
"What happened here is that the court of public opinion forced WestJet to pay up," Lukacs said.
On Tuesday, in a statement to CTV News Edmonton, WestJet said, "We recognized that we failed to meet our obligations to these guests."
In the end, the process was worth it for the couple. It was not about money—"it became a matter of principle."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Timm Bruch
