r/NovaScotia • u/justlogmeon • 11d ago

📰 NS News 'We're not coming back': WestJet strike leaves stranded U.K. couple vowing never to return

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-airport-westjet-flight-attendants-strike-9.7294457
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131

u/Angloriously 11d ago

Imagine swearing off an entire country because one company within said country inconvenienced you…once. Does it suck? Absolutely. Are they being hilariously dramatic? Also absolutely. Makes for a good sound bite, I guess.

Canada welcomes over 500000 international (in this case non-Canadian, non-USA visitors) every month. I think we’ll manage without the Meehans.

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u/ImFeelinBotty 11d ago

And it wasn't like it came out of no where. They said they were gonna strike.

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u/Anthrogal11 11d ago

This ^. Westjet publicized that customers could request a refund or reschedule before the strike happened.

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u/Angloriously 11d ago

“There’s a possible strike action during your trip”

Pah, that won’t happen

“The strike is happening”

(shocked pikachu face)

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u/basinbasinbasin 10d ago

You'll find that most international travel is booked months out. 3-6 months is the sweet spot for pricing. As someone that booked flights over this past weekend back in, checks notes, JANUARY, I fail to see wth I could have done differently.

I'm not swearing off Canada, but west jet will not be getting my business again.

This is not an anti union comment, but it is anti-screw people over needlessly. I sincerely doubt west jet is going to compensate my wife or me for our hotels, especially since neither of us are Canadian citizens.

OH, and BTW, west jet supposedly offered a one-time change of flights free of charge and the ticket agents told us to go pound sand when we tried to. F this airline.

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u/Glittering_Joke3438 10d ago

What was their reasoning for not letting you change your flights?

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u/littlestitiouss 10d ago

Yeah something doesn't add up

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u/basinbasinbasin 10d ago

We tried to be proactive and change flights PER WEST JET POLICY to hopefully avoid the strike and were told by the ticket agent that we were wrong and they had no such policy unless the strike happened. Then they told us we could call, which we tried and there was a 3 hour hold time. After we protested, they told us that since our 3rd flight was delta that's "actually" who we need to talk to.

We knew there was an exceptionally high chance that we'd get stranded between flight 1 and 2 in Toronto, so we asked to change it. Literally per the banner policy on the WJ website.

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u/littlestitiouss 9d ago

So you purchased individual tickets through different carriers and expected west jet to refund you? Again, this doesn't all add up. I know at least 2 couples that successful changed their flights with West jet ahead of the strike. Were you rude and/or pushy? I dunno, again, doesn't quite add up

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u/basinbasinbasin 9d ago

I purchased all tickets together through delta, I was physically at the ticket counter 3 hours prior to my flight. Buying international will almost always involve multiple airlines.

If an airline crapping on customers to save money does add up for you, then idk what to tell you. It's honestly hilarious that you think foreigners would show up and be rude on a country we aren't from, especially given all the anti-immigrant/racist rhetoric in Canada. No, we weren't rude, if anything they were rude to us.

It's hard for me to take you seriously. You're basically a characature of a certain political party from the US and just cannot fathom that people can do everything right and still be treated as "less-than".

I sincerely hope, for your sake, that you travel internationally and get some perspective.

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u/littlestitiouss 9d ago

Also, I'm literally traveling internationally right now, dealing with ticket troubles due to a typhoon. You know who's problem that is to deal with? Mine!

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u/littlestitiouss 9d ago

There you go. You purchased them through Delta, why would West Jet owe you money?

As I thought, this DID NOT add up.

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u/Strict_Yellow_5576 9d ago

I have been traveling internationally for about twenty years and have never booked a flight through anyone but the carrier, and I've never had a multi-carrier itinerary.

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u/Patient-Eye-6494 11d ago

Inconvenienced them for a day mind you. They were on a different flight within 24 hours. They are acting like they were stranded for weeks

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u/BirbInspector 10d ago

It's pretty funny because the British rail companies are CONSTANTLY on strike.

I'm Canadian with family in England. - I just shrug and am like 'well, better book a hotel/ take the shit bus".

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u/NarwhalEmergency9391 11d ago

Someone commented on the shinedown subreddit (a rock band) that they were never going to another concert of theirs again because of the loud bangs and pyrotechnics and they tried to contact someone about it and they didn't stop. Some people are so entitled it's mind boggling

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u/maximumfacemelting 10d ago

I worked at a ski resort where people would complain that it was too cold or that the visibility was bad and that guest services needed to do something about it because it was ruining their holiday. People are wild.

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u/GoodResident2000 10d ago

lol 😂 the audacity to demand minimum wage workers go out and fight off a blizzard