WestJet flight disruption/irregular operations (IROP)

Updated June 22, 2023

In this guide, you’ll find details on our flight disruption/irregular operations (IROP) policy for changes that occurred less than 72 hours before flight departure. To prevent unwanted agency debit memos, please follow the details below for when a WestJet IROP occurs.

For details on our GDS schedule change (changes outside 72 hours) process, click here.

Guide contents

High-level review of changes

Tickets issued on/before October 31, 2022

For full details on IROP qualification, click here. 

Tickets issued on/after November 1, 2022

For full details on IROP qualification, click here. 

Irregular operations (IROP) within 72 hours overview

IROPs are WestJet-initiated changes made less than 72 hours before departure. Airlines may be required to change their flight schedules close to departure for numerous reasons that result in:

• Delays
• Diversions
• Reroutes

When an IROP occurs, your travel agency will receive notifications for each impacted PNR. The PNR will be updated and, in most cases, the ticket will be revalidated and no exchange is required.

In cases where an involuntary reissue is required, it should be done before flight check in and/or left with WestJet to reissue the impacted flight segment.

Notifications

In the event of an IROP, WestJet will attempt to notify your client of the changes. As a reminder, please ensure you are adding SSR CTCE contact details to ensure your clients can be notified of these types of changes. You are also responsible for notifying your client of changes. 

IMPORTANT: For cases where you do not cancel the flight segments prior to departure and your client does not travel, this will be considered a no-show and funds will be forfeit. This applies even in cases where your client did not accept the changes.

Passenger Rights

In the event of an IROP, your client may be entitled to standards of treatment because of a disruption to their travel plans. For more information, select the respective links below.

Standards of treatment 

Our commitment and your clients’ passenger rights

IROP qualifications

Tickets issued on/before October 31, 2022

If an IROP change has occurred and the ticket was issued on/before October 31, 2022, the below qualifications must be adhered to for any involuntary changes.   

IMPORTANT: If you are making changes to your client’s flights and one or more of the below qualifying changes has not occurred, the change will be considered voluntary and applicable fare rules must be followed. 

• A time change has occurred in the journey within 72 hours prior to flight departure, or;
• Change in routing where one or more stops was added, or;
• Change in routing where one or more cities has changed, or;
• Cabin downgrade, or;
• A misconnection occurs in the connection city, or;
• Journey where at least one flight segment(s) was cancelled by WestJet (UN, UC or NO) with no flight replacement (TK).

NOTE: If a qualifying change or cancel occurred but no TK or UN was received in the reservation, use FLIFO within your GDS to obtain final qualifying flight status. Please keep a copy for your records as it may be required for audit purposes. 

NOTE: If your client has accepted a cabin downgrade schedule change, please submit here for the ticket to be reviewed for partial refund.

For terms and conditions on unaccepted IROP changes, click here. 

For refund terms, click here. 

Tickets issued on/after November 1, 2022

If an IROP change has occurred and the ticket was issued on/after November 1, 2022, the below qualifications must be adhered to for any involuntary changes.   

IMPORTANT: If you are making changes to your client’s flights and one or more of the below qualifying changes has not occurred, the change will be considered voluntary and applicable fare rules must be followed. 

• Journey was time changed more than 180 minutes from the original departure/arrival, or;
• Change in routing where one or more stops was added, or; 
• Change in routing where one or more cities has changed, or;
• Cabin downgrade, or;
• A misconnection occurs in the connection city, or;
• Journey where at least one flight segment(s) cancelled by WestJet (UN, UC or NO) with no flight replacement (TK).

NOTE: If a qualifying change or cancel occurred but no TK or UN was received in the reservation, use FLIFO within your GDS to obtain final qualifying flight status. Please keep a copy for your records as it may be required for audit purposes. 

NOTE: If your client has accepted a cabin downgrade IROP, please submit here for the ticket to be reviewed for partial refund.

For terms and conditions on unaccepted IROP changes, click here. 

For refund terms, click here. 

IROP guidelines

Accepting an IROP

1. If the IROP is acceptable and the ETKT was auto-revalidated or exchanged by WestJet, no further action is required.
2. If the IROP is acceptable but the ETKT has not been revalidated or exchanged by WestJet, the ticket must be reissued.

NOTE: If your client has accepted a cabin downgrade IROP, please submit here for the ticket to be reviewed for partial refund.

For steps to reissue your client’s tickets, click here.

Unaccepted IROP (new flight required)

Terms and conditions

1. If you are unable to make the change and your client contacts WestJet, we will process the requested change for any flights departing within 72 hours.
2. New flight(s) can depart within 2 calendar days before or after the original flight time.
   • If there are no available or scheduled flights within 2 calendar days, the next available flight (earlier or later) may be selected or you can contact WestJet directly to discuss options for rebooking your client onto an alternate carrier.
3. Removal of old flights and rebooking the new flight(s) can be done directly in your GDS. 
4. Rerouting is permitted provided the origin and destination are the same or fall within our geographically close airport guidelines.
5. If the outbound/inbound date has been changed by WestJet, or you are moving the flight to the new calendar day or the next operating flight is not on the same calendar day as the original flight, you can move the outbound/inbound by the same amount of time.
   • Example: The original outbound flight(s) were scheduled to depart September 1 and the inbound flight(s) were scheduled to depart September 7. If, as a result of an IROP, the outbound flight(s) were moved to September 2, you are permitted to move the inbound flight(s) to September 8.
6. You are permitted to change to a geographically close airport within 320 kilometres/200 miles. For example: YVR/YXX, FLL/MIA. 
7. For requests outside of the above guidelines, please contact our Travel Support Team to discuss options. Select the “Contact us” tab at the bottom of this page for call back options, contact numbers and hours of operation.

For steps to rebook new flights and reissue your clients’ tickets, click here.

Refunds

Refunds to original form of payment are permitted for your clients who incur a qualifying flight disruption (TK/UN) within 72 hours of their originally scheduled departure.

You and your client have the option of retaining a travel credit for a future flight or refunding to original form of payment. If your client prefers a refund to original form of payment, please follow the terms and conditions outlined below.

For details on travel credits, click here.

Non-refundable and refundable fares

Refunds for non-refundable and refundable fares due to a qualifying IROP scenario(s), can be processed in your GDS. Any applicable penalty fees are waived.

Qualifying scenarios for tickets issued on/before October 31, 2022

Qualifying scenarios for tickets issued on/after November 1, 2022

NOTE: If your client was impacted by an IROP and one of the below occurred, they may wish to request a partial refund for the remaining connection value:

• Your client was only able to fly a portion of their connection flight, or;
• Your client did not travel to their final destination and was returned to their original origin city.

To learn how to process a request for a partial refund, please visit the Air Passenger Protection Regulations page.

IROP ticket reissue and refund processes

Flight rebook process

Before rebooking any flight, please ensure you have reviewed our IROP qualifications and IROP guidelines.

1. Rebook in the original class of service in the same cabin.
   • For Basic (A, E), Econo (L, K, T, X, S, N, Q, H) and EconoFlex (M,B,Y), if the original class of service is not available, rebook at the next highest fare class up to and including Y class. 
   • For Premium (R, O) and PremiumFlex (W), if the original class of service is not available, rebook at the next highest fare class up to and including W class.
   • For Business (D, C) and BusinessFlex (J), if the original class of service is not available, rebook at the next highest fare class up to and including J class.
   • If a seat is not available in the same cabin, you will need to select a different flight.

Note: If you are reissuing as a result of another airline’s IROP that is part of your 838 ticket, you may rebook to the same marketing/operating carrier and class of service, or change to a WS-marketed flight in the same cabin.

Ticket reissue process

Before rebooking any flight, please ensure you have reviewed our IROP qualifications and IROP guidelines.

1. The ticket must be reissued as an even exchange.
2. Enter waiver code FD72HRINVOL into the ticket endorsement field.
3. Your client must be notified of the new flight information.
4. Terms and conditions must be followed, or the refund will be subject to an Agency Debit Memo (ADM) for the full value of the ticket and an ADMIN fee of up to 50.00 local currency per ticket.

Refund process

1. Remove/cancel all flights segments from the reservation.
2. Complete the refund in your GDS or IAR.
3. Enter waiver code 21FD72RF22 in your GDS/IAR refund waiver code field.
4. At-source commission is to be recalled at the time of the refund.
5. Terms and conditions must be followed, or the refund 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.
6. Fare and taxes including YQ are eligible for refund with the below exception for non-refundable taxes. If the following taxes are refunded an ADM will be issued.
   • Non-refundable taxes: L8 and DO for Punta Cana (PUJ), Puerto Plata (POP), Samana (AZS), La Romana (LRM)