EU Regulation 261/2004 has protected European air passengers since February 2005. It grants compensation and care rights when flights are delayed by three or more hours, cancelled without 14 days' notice, or when passengers are involuntarily denied boarding. Crucially, the regulation applies to any airline — European or otherwise — operating a flight that departs from an EU or EEA airport.

Compensation is fixed at one of three rates based on the great-circle distance of the route:

Every WestJet transatlantic route departing from a European airport exceeds 3,500 km by a significant margin, meaning €600 per passenger is the applicable compensation for every qualifying disruption. Airlines may reduce this to €300 only if they offered re-routing that arrived within four hours of the original scheduled arrival time — a condition rarely met in the context of transatlantic flight disruptions.

WestJet is a Canadian carrier. EU261 applies to WestJet flights only on the EU-departing legs — flights departing from European airports bound for Canada. Inbound flights from Canada arriving in Europe are not covered by EU261, though they may be covered by Canada's APPR.

EU departure airports served by WestJet (qualifying under EU261):

• London Gatwick (LGW) and London Heathrow (LHR), United Kingdom
• Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), France
• Dublin Airport (DUB), Ireland
• Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), Netherlands
• Glasgow International Airport (GLA), Scotland
• Edinburgh Airport (EDI), Scotland

UK note: Post-Brexit, the United Kingdom applies EU261 as retained domestic law — formally "UK Regulation 261/2004." WestJet flights departing LGW, LHR, GLA, or EDI are therefore covered under UK law in the same way they would be under EU law.

Qualifying disruption types:

• Flight delay of 3 hours or more at the final destination (e.g., arriving at Calgary or Toronto 3+ hours late)
• Flight cancellation with fewer than 14 days' advance notice
• Involuntary denied boarding due to overbooking or operational reasons

Extraordinary circumstances: WestJet may invoke extraordinary circumstances to avoid paying compensation. Valid examples include: exceptional weather events that ground all aircraft, ATC strikes, airport security incidents, and genuine political crises at the destination. Standard operational issues — maintenance delays, crew rostering failures, and commercial scheduling changes — are not extraordinary. WestJet must prove the circumstance existed and that it took all reasonable measures to avoid the disruption.

EU261 vs APPR: Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) provide separate protections for delays and cancellations on flights operated by Canadian carriers. However, for EU-departing WestJet flights, EU261 typically provides more favourable compensation amounts and broader coverage. You may have rights under both frameworks, but you cannot claim the same loss twice. EU261 is the more passenger-friendly instrument for transatlantic disruptions departing Europe.

WestJet has a customer relations process and is obligated to engage with formal EU261 claims. Follow these seven steps:

1. Collect documentation. Gather your booking confirmation, boarding pass (or denial of boarding notice), and any communications from WestJet about the disruption. Use a flight tracking app to obtain the actual arrival time at your Canadian destination, as this determines whether the 3-hour delay threshold was crossed.

2. Calculate your entitlement. All WestJet EU routes exceed 3,500 km → €600 per passenger. Multiply by the number of passengers in your booking.

3. Write a formal EU261 claim letter. Address it to WestJet Guest Experience. Include: full names of all passengers, booking reference, flight number, scheduled and actual arrival times, disruption type, and the claim amount under EU Regulation 261/2004 Article 7(1)(c). For UK departures, reference UK Regulation 261/2004 Article 7(1)(c).

4. Submit your claim. WestJet's claims and guest experience team can be contacted via westjet.com. Use the official complaint form or the feedback/compensation email channel. Keep a copy and record the submission date.

5. Follow up at 30 days. If WestJet has not provided a substantive response within 30 days, send a follow-up setting a further 14-day deadline before NEB escalation.

6. File with the National Enforcement Body. For WestJet's EU departure airports:

   • United Kingdom (LGW, LHR, GLA, EDI): Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) — caa.co.uk
   • France (CDG): Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC)
   • Ireland (DUB): Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) — aviationreg.ie
   • Netherlands (AMS): Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT) — ilent.nl

7. Pursue via ADR or court. In the UK, AviationADR and CEDR are certified ADR schemes for aviation claims. The UK small claims court (Money Claim Online) and equivalent processes in Ireland, France, and the Netherlands are effective routes for enforcing EU261 claims.

WestJet was founded in 1996 by Clive Beddoe and a small group of entrepreneurs inspired by the Southwest Airlines model of low-cost, no-frills air travel. The airline launched with three Boeing 737-200 aircraft operating within western Canada and grew rapidly through the 2000s and 2010s into a national carrier with transcontinental routes across Canada. WestJet launched international services progressively, expanding into the US, Caribbean, and Mexico before commencing transatlantic operations to Europe.

WestJet is majority-owned by Onex Corporation following a 2019 acquisition that took the airline private. The carrier operates a fleet of Boeing 737 MAX and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, with Dreamliners deployed on transatlantic routes from Europe. The airline launched a low-cost ultra-low-cost subsidiary, Swoop, in 2018 to compete in the budget domestic segment, though WestJet's own transatlantic services maintain a full-service offering. WestJet is a member of the Oneworld alliance as an affiliate member, enabling code-share partnerships with British Airways, Iberia, and others.

EU261 care entitlements apply to WestJet passengers at EU/UK departure airports. These are automatic rights that apply regardless of whether extraordinary circumstances mean compensation is not owed:

• 3+ hour delay (long-haul routes): Free meals and refreshments proportionate to wait time, plus two free communications (phone calls, emails, or messages).
• 5+ hour delay: Option of a full ticket refund if you do not wish to continue your journey.
• Overnight delay: Hotel accommodation and return transport between airport and hotel at WestJet's expense.

WestJet is obligated to provide or arrange these services through its airport representatives or handling agents. If the airline or its agents fail to offer care, purchase reasonable necessities and retain all receipts — these are claimable in addition to the statutory compensation.

Scenario 1: London Gatwick–Calgary Delayed by 5 Hours

You check in for your WestJet WS9 at London Gatwick (LGW) bound for Calgary (YYC). A technical issue with the Boeing 787 causes a five-hour delay and you arrive in Calgary five hours and twenty minutes late. The LGW–YYC distance is approximately 7,300 km. You are entitled to €600 per passenger under EU261. Because this was a technical fault arising from the airline's own maintenance operations, it is very unlikely to qualify as an extraordinary circumstance, and WestJet must pay.

Scenario 2: Amsterdam–Toronto Cancelled 7 Days Before Departure

WestJet notifies you seven days before your Amsterdam (AMS) to Toronto (YYZ) flight that the service has been cancelled due to aircraft redeployment. You are not offered an alternative flight arriving within four hours of the original. Because notice was fewer than 14 days, you are entitled to €600 per passenger plus your choice of a full refund or re-routing on the next available WestJet or comparable transatlantic service.

Scenario 3: Dublin–Calgary Denied Boarding Due to Overbooking

At Dublin Airport (DUB), WestJet denies you boarding on the Dublin–Calgary service because the flight is overbooked. The DUB–YYC distance is approximately 6,800 km. You are entitled to €600 per passenger immediately upon being denied boarding, plus the right to choose between a full refund and re-booking on the next available flight. WestJet must provide meals, refreshments, and — if the next flight is the following day — hotel accommodation and transport.

1. Track the actual arrival time at your Canadian destination. EU261 compensation is calculated based on delay at the final destination — Calgary, Toronto, or Vancouver — not at a stopover. Use FlightAware or WestJet's app to establish the precise arrival time. A delay of 2 hours 55 minutes does not qualify; 3 hours 1 minute does.

2. Do not accept WestJet travel bank credits as settlement. WestJet commonly offers WestJet dollars (travel credits) to resolve complaints. Unless the value matches the statutory €600 per passenger and you are happy to accept it for future travel, this is not equivalent to your EU261 entitlement. Credits cannot be transferred, expire, and reduce your flexibility.

3. Claim the full €600 — not just £520 or €560. Some airlines quote approximate conversions or offer slightly less. The regulation specifies €600 and UK courts have confirmed the sterling equivalent at the exchange rate applicable at the time of payment. Insist on the full statutory amount.

4. Document the denied boarding process precisely. If you were denied boarding at check-in, note the time, the agent you spoke with, and any written notice given. If you volunteered to be denied boarding in exchange for compensation, note that too — you may have waived EU261 rights in exchange for the voluntary denied boarding package.

5. Preserve all communications from WestJet. Save every email, SMS, and push notification from WestJet regarding your flight. These establish the timeline and can demonstrate whether the airline met its notification and care obligations under the regulation.

6. Check whether APPR provides additional rights. Canada's APPR may cover the inbound Canadian leg of your journey or provide different rights for the same disruption. APPR claims are filed with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA). You cannot double-recover for the same loss, but you can claim under whichever framework is more favourable.

7. File early — don't wait years. Even if you have 6 years in the UK, WestJet deletes passenger records after a certain retention period and flight tracking data becomes harder to access. Filing within 6–12 months of the disruption maximises your evidence quality and claim success rate.