Medicine Hat man nearly misses grandfather’s funeral due to WestJet delay

He was left stranded, his family said.

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“He’s a new flyer, he’s only 20,” said Renae Weiss, mother of the son who she requested not be named.

“To walk away and leave him standing there is just unacceptable.”

If Weiss’ son was to wait until the new flight departing Calgary, he would not make it to Medicine Hat in time for his grandfather’s funeral.

Weiss booked a WestJet flight from Abbotsford, B.C., to Calgary for her son.

She also made the effort of making a bereavement booking, which included detailed information about the importance of the flight’s timing.

His flight from British Columbia was delayed, Weiss said. Before his plane landed in Calgary, it was rescheduled to the next flight to Medicine Hat.

Since there’s only one flight that goes to and from Medicine Hat — part of a change WestJet implemented in 2024 — it meant Weiss’ son would have missed his grandfather’s funeral.

Despite the flight being rescheduled to the next day, the 20-year-old made it to the gate in time to hop on to the plane.

However, when WestJet staff scanned his boarding pass, they told him he wasn’t scheduled until the next day, Weiss said.

Her son showed a staff member his confirmation and boarding pass but they told him there was nothing they could do.

Renae Weiss says her son nearly didn’t make it home for his grandfather’s funeral thanks to WestJet. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

That meant he was left without a way home on the eve of his grandfather’s funeral.

Weiss and her husband were forced to head out at 7 p.m. that night to pick their son up so he would be home on time.

That meant a six-hour round trip the family didn’t plan for.

Weiss said that normally they’d make the drive, but didn’t want to miss out on time with family.

“I know Calgary is only two and a half hours away and most people will drive it,” she told CHAT News.

“But in this situation, our time was just so limited having the funeral the next day,” she added.

“We missed out on time with family that came to town to go pick him up, and no offer of anything to him.”

Weiss said that she understands that the city’s smaller population doesn’t require as frequent of flights.

She said, however, that this situation did not call for a rescheduling.

The Canadian Transportation Agency has a complaint resolution process for air travel complaints.

Passengers who believe an airline has not satisfied its obligations towards them can submit a claim to the airline.

Passengers who are not satisfied with the airline’s response, or who haven’t received one within 30 days can file a formal complaint with the CTA’s resolution office.

Weiss said that although a refund was offered, nothing could compensate the inconvenience.

“Their lack of compassion during this was unacceptable in my opinion,” she said.

“I think what made the whole thing worse is him begging them to get on the flight and then walking away and then finding out there was still room on the plane,” she added.

“That is probably the worst part of this whole thing. I don’t care about the money. I don’t care that I had to go get my son. I care that they are not at all being held accountable.”

The family was offered a $137 refund that didn’t even cover the cost of the fuel to make the roundtrip to the airport to pick up their son, Weiss said.

Whether a funeral is in question, or in any circumstance, no passenger should receive the treatment they did, Weiss said.

WestJet declined to comment in response to a request from CHAT News. The company said Monday it needed 24 hours to respond to the inquiry before saying on Tuesday it would not be giving a statement.

by Jayk Sterkenburg

Medicine Hat man nearly misses grandfather’s funeral due to WestJet delay

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