WestJet COVID-19 air change policy
Updated July 5, 2022
In this guide, you will find details on the WestJet air COVID-19 change policy. To prevent unwanted Agency Debit Memos (ADM), please follow the terms and conditions when making a change to a booking.
IMPORTANT CHANGE: For all tickets issued on/after July 06, 2022, regular fares rules will apply.
Reminder: Effective June 22, 2022, tickets issued on WestJet’s Basic branded fares/fare family (A, E class) will follow regular fare rules. As a reminder, the Basic fare brand does not permit any voluntary changes or cancellations. Exceptions will not be permitted for any Basic tickets issued on/after June 22, 2022, please ensure to remind your clients of the fare restrictions.
For more details on our fare conditions for Basic branded fares/fare family, click here.
This policy applies to:
- WestJet 838 tickets
- Applies to select fares and classes of service
- Active reservations or,
- Unused and partially used open status tickets (Travel Credits)
High-level Review
Basic
IMPORTANT: For Basic (A, E class) branded fares/fare family, change/cancel is not permitted on/after June 22, 2022
Brand/Fare Family | Ticket issue date | Change/Cancel permitted | Penalty Waived | Change/cancel permitted until | Waiver Code |
Basic (A, E) | On/before December 31, 2021 | Yes | Yes | Ticket validity expiry | COVID2020 |
Basic (A, E) | January 01 and June 21, 2022 | Yes | Yes | Ticket validity expiry | 2022COV01 |
Basic (A, E) | On/after June 22, 2022 | NOT PERMITTED | NOT PERMITTED | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Non-Basic fares
IMPORTANT: Tickets issued on/after July 6, 2022
Brand/Fare family | Penalty waived | Notes | Waiver code |
Econo (L, K, T, X, S, N, Q, H) | No | Follow regular fare rules | Not applicable |
EconoFlex (M,B,Y) | No | Follow regular fare rules | Not applicable |
Premium/PremiumFlex (R,O,W) | No | Follow regular fare rules | Not applicable |
Business/BusinessFlex (C, D, J) | No | Follow regular fare rules | Not applicable |
Tickets issued between January 1 – July 5, 2022 (excluding Basic)
Brand/Fare Family | Change permitted | Penalty Waived | Free change penalty until | Waiver Code |
Econo (L, K, T, X, S, N, Q, H) | Yes | Yes | Ticket validity expiry | 2022COV01 |
EconoFlex (M,B,Y) | Yes | Yes | Ticket validity expiry | 2022COV01 |
Premium/PremiumFlex (R,O,W) | Yes | Yes | Ticket validity expiry | 2022COV01 |
Business/BusinessFlex (C, D, J) | Yes | Yes | Ticket validity expiry | 2022COV01 |
Tickets issued on/before December 31, 2021 (excluding Basic)
Brand/Fare Family | Change permitted | Penalty Waived | Free change penalty until | Waiver Code |
Econo (L, K, T, X, S, N, Q, H) | Yes | Yes | Ticket validity expiry | COVID2020 |
EconoFlex (M,B,Y) | Yes | Yes | Ticket validity expiry | COVID2020 |
Premium/PremiumFlex (R,O,W) | Yes | Yes | Ticket validity expiry | COVID2020 |
Business/BusinessFlex (C, D, J) | Yes | Yes | Ticket validity expiry | COVID2020 |
Tickets reissued between January 01 and August 31, 2022, as the result of an extension (COV22EXT01)
- Please visit our COVID-19 ticket validity extensions policy for details
General terms and conditions
- Ticket must be issued on WestJet ticket stock (838)
- UPDATE: Basic fare as of June 22, 2022 will follow regular fare rules, where change/cancel is not permitted
- UPDATE: Econo, EconoFlex, Premium, PremiumFlex, Business and BusinessFlex as of July 06, 2022 will follow regular fare rules
- Check charts above fares, classes of service, date ranges and waiver codes
- One free name change is permitted
- If you have made a change to the name from a previous exchange and are processing a second name change, the regular penalty fee applies
- If you are changing to a higher fare, the difference in fare will apply
- If you are changing to a lower fare, any residual is forfeit per standard fare rules
- Waiver code must be entered into the endorsement field at the time of the exchange
IMPORTANT: Terms and conditions must be followed, or the exchange will be subject to an Agency Debit Memo (ADM) for the full value of the ticket and an ADMIN fee up to 200.00 local currency per ticket
NOTE: If the penalty fee is automatically waived in your GDS as part of automated exchanges, a waiver code is not required. If you are prompted for a penalty fee and all conditions are met, you can zero out the penalty amount and enter the waiver code into the endorsement field.
BSP/ARC Process for tickets issued on/before July 05, 2022
Ticketed date | Travel date | Change date | Change/Penalty fee | Waiver code |
On/before December 31, 2021 | Anytime | Up to 2 hours before departure | $0 | COVID2020 |
Between January 01-July 05, 2022 | Anytime | Up to 2 hours before departure | $0 | 2022COV01 |
NOTE: Basic fare as of June 22, 2022, will follow regular fare rules, where change/cancel is not permitted
- Ticket must be issued prior to July 05, 2022
- Changes are permitted up to 2 hours before departure if you have an active reservation
- Changes completed within 2 hours before departure will be a forfeit of funds
- Changes are permitted anytime for open status tickets that were previously cancelled prior to flight departure
- Penalty fee can be waived through to the end of the ticket validity
- Complete the changes in your GDS and enter the appropriate waiver code, based on your ticket issue date into the endorsement field.
NOTE: Basic fare as of June 22, 2022, will follow regular fare rules, where change/cancel is not permitted
Frequently asked questions
Q: What happens if I exchange my client’s ticket after December 31, 2021?
A: If your ticket was issued prior to December 31, 2021, you can waive the penalty using the COVID2020 waiver code. If your ticket was issued between January and *July 05*, 2022, you can waive the penalty using waiver code 2022COV01. If you have ticket that was extended, follow our COVID-19 ticket validity extensions policy.
*Except for Basic fares, which follow regular fare rules as of June 22, 2022
Q: I have a ticket that was issued with a Basic fare in 2021, can it be changed?
A: Yes, provided the issue date of the ticket you are reissuing is before June 22, 2022. Any Basic fare tickets issued on/after June 22, 2022, will follow regular fare rules, where change or cancel is not permitted. Refer to the Basic high-level chart above for details.
Q: With the ATPCO changes that allow for the carrier to override the original penalty, do I still need to enter the waiver code?
A: If your automated exchange process waives the penalty, a waiver code is not required. If your automated exchange process does not waive the penalty, zero out the penalty amount and enter the applicable waiver code into the endorsement field.
Q: What happens if a penalty fee is still displaying when I process the exchange?
A: If a penalty fee is displayed, first verify that the conditions of your exchange meet our terms and conditions. If they do, zero out the penalty amounts and enter the applicable waiver code in the endorsement field.
Q: My client has a ticket that was originally issued in 2019 for a flight in April 2020, can I waive the penalty if I make the change in February 2022.
A: Yes, if your ticket was issued on/before December 31, 2021, and the terms and conditions are met, you can waive the penalty fee, provided the ticket validity has not ended – meaning the ticket has not expired.