Three stars given because balanced out really big mistake with 'best they could do' repair.
I was travelling to Winnipeg with my mother, who is 82 and has rather advanced Alzheimer's, and her wee service dog (medical alert). The itinerary was specifically planned to accommodate Mum's sundowning and the dog's bladder. That is, arriving by dinner time in the shortest possible time.
Now, while the greatest failure of all was committed by the shuttle company who botched our booking and did not pick us up (see "Airport Shuttle" review), once we arrived by taxi at YYC, the Westjet staff at the gate should have been more on the ball. Our plane was still parked at the gate, the waiting area full of people. I asked the girls at the Westjet boarding desk if they could keep an eye on Mum and her dog while I grabbed two coffees. You need to know that YYC is a very small airport, you can see most of the entire waiting area. The girls said "No problem" and "Of course" simultaneously. Minutes later, when I went to Mum, the plane was pulling away 10 minutes early! Westjet had been made aware at booking that we were travelling with a service dog. The girls should have known they were missing passengers and realized we, with dog!, were they, and told us to board immediately. You can read all about how f*d our day became from here in aforementioned "Airport Shuttle" review. And, I do believe the Westjet boarding gate failed equally.
The Westjet manager was able to get us on a much later flight which arrived in Winnipeg at midnight after making it very clear "that we don't usually do this for third party bookings". Clearly, he was accepting at least some responsibility for the huge gaff. Thanks for getting us there one almost the same day regardless. read more