Back in June of this year I had a whirlwind travel schedule that saw me flying from SEA-MSP-EWR-YYZ-MSP in the span of 48 hours. This was for a business trip that saw me speaking at conferences in New Jersey and Toronto on the same day. Given the tight timeline for delivering both speeches (and crossing country borders to get there), I was fully expecting to have some sort of logistical snafu along the way, but was hopeful that everything would work out alright… and in the end everything worked out. In fact, the only snag I ran into was one that I had not anticipated: The “partnership” between Delta and WestJet.
The rest of this post is going to highlight the lessons I learned in the process of flying WestJet after booking through delta.com and will hopefully serve as a warning to anyone who needs to fly WestJet via Delta in the future.
It all starts in New Jersey. My presentation wrapped up at the Madison Hotel at around 9:30 AM, I checked out of my hotel room and called for a car to take me to La Guaradia airport for a 12 PM flight. While I had been able to successfully check into my flight from MSP-EWR in advance of the flight, I was having trouble checking into my WestJet flight via the Delta app. In the cab to the airport I tried to check in again and the Delta app told me checkin was unavailable. Strange, but not unprecedented for a flight that was destined for another country.
WestJet is not Delta, Delta is not WestJet
I called the Delta Platinum line to see if they could check me in over the phone and my request was met with radio silence and then “Mr. Jeffsetter, we cannot check you into your WestJet flight because they are a different company”
To which I replied: “Oh, I just figured that since I booked on your site that it was a subsidiary, like Pinnacle airlines”
Agent: “No sir, WestJet has their own check in and you need to check in at the airport. They don’t have the ability to check in online or via phone”
Me: “What do you mean airport? And how far in advance do I need to check in?”
Agent: “you need to check in 60 minutes before your flight”
Me: “I am not going to be there 60 minutes before my flight. Are you telling me that I am going to miss my flight because your systems can’t talk to each other?”
Agent: “That might happen. All I can tell you is to get to the airport and talk to them there, they might be able to let you on your flight”
NOT GOOD. Driving from Central New Jersey to La Guardia takes 60 minutes in ideal conditions and on this day it was looking to take much longer. My cab driver, who overheard the call said he can drive faster, but we wouldn’t be at the airport until after 11 AM.
Naturally, I started to panic a little bit and wonder how I got myself into this predicament. Of all of the things that could go wrong (delayed flights, bad weather, passport issues, etc.) this was not one I had anticipated.
I went to my phone to see if WestJet did have a website or an online checkin option and noticed that they actually do have online check in. I decided to give it a try and after a very unfriendly data entry process, I managed to get myself checked in. Crisis averted!
Interestingly enough, while checking in I learned that the flight was actually delayed by 50 minutes, something that Delta never alerted me on their app. The whole scramble to get there on time was for naught. I would be waiting at the Delta Sky Club for the flight after all.
When I got to the airport I checked in for my flight and learned that I was in standard coach, sitting in a middle seat near the back of the plane. I tried to change to a better seat in an exit row or premium economy, but soon learned that my Platinum Medallion status did not apply and I would need to pay a hefty fee for the right to upgrade. Not happening this time. I would be sitting in the middle seat.
Thankfully even with the flight delay I was able to get to Toronto on time to give my SES presentation.
What’s the point of this post? To share with you some tips for how you can better adjust to booking a Delta flight through their codeshare partner WestJet. Here are some facts you should make sure that you pay attention to:
- WestJet is not a subsidiary of Delta, but rather a codeshare
- WestJet does allow online check-in, but your confirmation number will likely be different than the 6 digit Delta issued confirmation number. You may need to call Delta in order to receive your confirmation number
- Your Delta Status means nothing on WestJet, so you will have to pay for an exit row or premium economy seat
- The seat that you are assigned will likely be terrible
- If you have status and end up getting stuck in the middle seat, be sure to complain to @deltaassist on Twitter to get a 500 to 1,000 mile credit for the inconvenience (I was given 1,000 miles for my trouble)
- Booking a WestJet flight leg on Delta.com gives you similar rights to booking a flight on KLM, Air France, Korean Air, etc. Basically, it means you don’t have a lot of rights
Hopefully sharing my unnecessarily nerve wracking experience as I ping-ponged between Delta and WestJet looking for answers will help someone else along the way! Looking back on this whole ordeal, I realize that I may be at fault for not doing my due diligence when it comes to the airlines I’m flying.
Have you ever flown WestJet? What has your experience been?