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I do a lot of traveling. Being in the western part of Canada, I’m also no stranger to WestJet. In fact, I’m quite happy with the service I’ve received from them (a refreshing break from ‘the other carrier’ in most circumstances, to be honest).
Speaking of strangers, I was shocked to hear about what happened on a recent WestJet flight from Edmonton to Montreal involving a five-year old. According to cbc:
The parents of a five-year-old girl travelling alone are furious with WestJet for breaking its own guidelines and allowing a stranger to accompany the child off a flight.
Sara-Maude St-Louis, 5, was taking her first plane ride Thursday from Edmonton, where she lives with her mother, to Montreal to see her father. The parents paid a special fee to ensure someone from the airline would look after her.
Talk about a public relations nightmare that continued on after you woke up, WestJet will have a lot to answer to in the coming days and weeks, I suspect.
To be honest, I’m a little shocked that the ’stranger’ who accompanied Sara-Maude St-Louis off of the plane didn’t speak up and say anything. I’ve done the west-to-east coast flight…and it’s a long one! There’d be more than enough time to say ‘Hey, there’s a five-year old with no guardian sitting beside me…anyone? Buehler?’
According to Vancouver News1130 this morning, ‘the girl was ignored.’ Yikes!
What’s proper form in this circumstance? I read in today’ Globe and Mail that the family isn’t looking for money, but rather for WestJet to make things right. I agree.
The family was promised service (a very important service!) and got nothing. Flyertalk mentioned that a $70,000 number was being considered to cover trips twice a year for the next 10 years. What’s fair? I have no idea…
I’ve seen some companies handle potential public relations ‘train wrecks’ quite well (recall the lululemon seaweed issue) and my only advice to WestJet is to tread carefully.
darren
One more thing…WestJet has now suspended their unaccompanied minors program till at least Tuesday:
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=5d96b4d4-75f1-4e22-8d30-c3ba0ac5238e&k=64602
If they don’t fix the issues, they might as well kill it forever, in my opinion!
What sane parent would send their 5 year old child on an air flight in the care of anyone other than a family member????? These people don’t deserve any $$ settlement, they should be forced to attend parenting classes.
I have wonderful story and picture of my granddaughter’s first air trip (with me) on a Westjet flight from Thunder Bay to Vancouver… I would like to send it to Westjet if someone has an email address for me to use. Westjet staff made it a trip she shall never forget.
Hi Delores, I agree with you!
As far as getting in touch with WestJet, you could try bizweb@westjet.com.
By the way, I just noticed that WestJet is highlighting, in large bold type on their Web site, that guests MUST be 12 years old (or older) to travel on their own.
I wonder if this had anything to do with it?…
Delores,
Do you have children?
Do you send them to school?
Do you ever use a babysitter?
Daycare?
What’s the difference?
Westjet offers a service, same as a school, daycare or babysitter where you leave your child in the care of a professional, you pay them for this service & therefore expect them to deliver what they promise.
They didn’t & that’s where the problems lie.
The difference is that in all those cases you mentioned that was their primary purpose, to look after these children. An airlines primary job is to transport people from A to B. They obviously made a mistake and I feel they have done the right thing now by discontinuing that service.
It doesn’t matter what their “primary purpose” is, the fact is under the old UM system, Westjet contracted to accept responsibility & care of the minors. The fact they have killed the old system shows that they were not capable of carrying it out properly & have admitted that.
I’m not a huge fan of the new system but at least it solves the issue of them losing more kids like my son.
That’s what I told Westjet from the begining of this whole fiasco, fix it or stop offering the service if you can’t do the job properly.
Blow it out your ass Delores Walter!
(that’s a good name for a movie)