Flight cancellations continue at WestJet due to damaged aircraft

Flight cancellations continue at WestJet as the airline deals with the aftermath of a powerful hail storm that slammed into Calgary airport (YYC) Monday night (Aug. 5).

The storm that reportedly produced baseball-sized hail left 16 planes (10 per cent of WestJet’s fleet) significantly damaged, the Calgary-based airline revealed this week. 

“Across WestJet, teams are working to perform necessary repairs and inspections to the 16 aircraft damaged by the hailstorm,” WestJet wrote in an update posted to its website on Thursday (Aug. 8).

READ MORE: WestJet cancels flights due to “significant hail damage” to 16 planes

As a result of the impact to WestJet’s fleet, cancellations continue to be implemented across the carrier’s network to account for decreased capacity.

Yesterday, WestJet reported 47 flight cancellations, and it’s only slightly better today (Friday), which has 45 cancellations.

Due to the impact of the storm, a travel advisory has been posted on WestJet.com and flexible change/cancel guidelines have been announced for all WestJet flight-only bookings for travel between August 5-8. 2024.

Guests are being advised to check the status of their flight prior to leaving for the airport “as further delays and cancellations may be required,” the airline warned.

Fares could rise?

Industry experts say the fallout may drive up ticket prices down the road. 

"A significant scale-back will likely boost demand at other airlines and push up ticket prices during the peak summer travel season," Barry Prentice of University of Manitoba's transport institute told the Canadian Press. 

"This is going to have a real impact on a lot of people who are waiting for flights. You can't take 10 per cent out of the supply of the second-largest airline in the country and not have impacts," he said.

Help yourself, if you can

WestJet added that it is experiencing very high volumes for its phone, email and social media support channels.

“Our teams are working diligently to assist every guest as quickly as possible,” the airline said yesterday. 

Before attempting to call the contact centre, guests are encouraged to leverage the airline’s self-serve options.

For guests impacted by flight delays, cancellations and changes, guests are being asked to proceed to their WestJet email notification and leverage the live chat and self-serve links.

For non-imminent requests that cannot be self-served, guests can book a call-back appointment at WestJet.com/contact.

The cancellations add to a growing number of events so far this year that have upended travel plans, including the WestJet mechanics’ strike that grounded flights over the Canada Day long weekend and the January cold snap that left dozens of planes frozen on YYC’s tarmac.

"All of us at WestJet, are incredibly disappointed to be disrupting the travel plans of our valued guests again this summer, and greatly appreciate your patience and understanding over the coming days as we weather the impact following this significant storm,” said Diederik Pen, president of WestJet and group chief operating officer, in a statement.

Travellers can visit WestJet’s Guest Updates page for more information regarding flight status, travel changes and more.

Update from YYC

The Calgary Airport Authority says its B gates will remain closed and water damage to this area of the terminal continues to be assessed.

The airport’s D (international/domestic) and E (U.S.) gates were not impacted by the storm and remain fully operational.

The airport says the total cost of the storm damage, and the amount of time required to complete repairs, are not known at this time.

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