Schedule changes & IROPs

Schedule changes & IROPs

Schedule changes and IROPs

Overview

Below, you’ll find our schedule change and irregular operations (IROP) policy. If your client experiences a schedule change or IROP, follow the steps below to self-serve one of the following options: accept the reaccommodation provided by WestJet, offer an alternate reaccommodation or issue a refund on eligible bookings.

This policy applies to:

  • GDS bookings
  • All fare types and points of sale
  • WestJet 838 tickets
  • Other airlines’ schedule change on 838 tickets
  • Reservations not yet ticketed

The process below must be followed or the change/refund will be subject to an Agency Debit Memo (ADM).

Please note the following important points:

  • This policy only applies to GDS booking. For support with WestJet Agent Direct or WestJet Biz bookings, please call the Travel Support Team.
  • The schedule change and IROP policy only applies to the ticket containing the impacted flight(s). If the outbound and inbound flights are booked on separate tickets, only the ticket affected by the schedule change or IROP will qualify for an exchange/refund.
    • For example: The outbound is booked on one ticket and the inbound flight is booked on another ticket. A schedule change has occurred on the outbound flight, but the inbound flight is unaffected. The outbound flight can be managed using our schedule change/IROP policy. Regular fare rules apply to the inbound flight.

Waiver codes

Below are the unique waiver codes to be used when processing a schedule change and IROPs. Use the waiver code that is applicable to when the disruption occurred.

Note: The waiver code can be used for both changes and refunds where eligible. It may only be used once per schedule change/IROP.

Disruption type Disruption timeframe Applicable waiver code
IROP Within 72 hours of departure INVOL
Schedule change Outside 72 hours before departure SKCHG

Rebooking guidelines

To qualify for a change or refund, the schedule change or IROP must meet one of the guidelines below.

IMPORTANT: If you are making changes to your client’s flights and one or more of the below scenarios has not occurred, the change will be considered voluntary and applicable fare rules must be followed.

Scenario Change permitted Refund permitted
Time change of 180 minutes or less No No
Time change of 181 minutes or more Yes Yes
Change in routing Yes Yes
Cancel (UN) with no replacement (TK) Yes Yes
Cabin downgrade Yes Yes
Misconnect in connection city Yes Yes

Schedule changes

WestJet will send an Advice of Schedule Change (ASC) message to the GDS to provide the schedule change details. If your client accepts the schedule change, your agency must reconcile the PNR by removing (cancelling) the old (UN) or changed (TK) segments in the PNR and accepting the new flight details.

In cases where an involuntary reissue is required, it must be done before flight check in. If the ticket and PNR do not match, your client will not be able to check in for their flight.

Please note:

  • For travel to/from the U.S.: As per U.S. DOT regulations, if your client does not travel due to a schedule change and meets the requirements, they are eligible for a refund. You will receive a QQ message if your client’s booking is eligible for a refund.
  • For travel to all other destinations (excluding U.S.): If WestJet cancels a portion of your client’s journey (UN) and no replacement flight is offered (TK), all remaining upline and downline flights must be removed from the PNR. If they are not removed and a no-show occurs as a result, a refund will not be permitted and funds will be considered forfeit.

If a WestJet schedule change occurs on another airline’s ticket and the reprotection offered by WestJet is not acceptable for your client, you must contact the ticketing carrier for alternate flight options and/or to reaccommodate according to their policies.

  1. If the schedule change is acceptable and the ETKT was auto-revalidated by WestJet, no further action will be required.
  2. If the schedule change is acceptable but the ETKT has not been revalidated by WestJet, the ticket must be reissued and the waiver code must be entered into the endorsement field.
  3. For unticketed PNRs, if a qualifying schedule change has occurred, issue the ticket against the original stored/saved fare and enter the waiver code into the endorsement field.
  4. If your client’s WestJet codeshare flight, operated by one of our partners, is now showing as the partner prime flight:
    • Leave it as is, provided there is at least one other WS-marketed flight on your ticket, or;
    • Rebook back to a WS-marketed flight.

Note: In the event your client has accepted a cabin downgrade schedule change, BSP tickets are eligible to submit a refund application. The ticket will be reviewed for partial refund. The process for ARC tickets can be found on our cabin downgrade refund page.

If your client doesn’t accept the schedule change, you can select a new flight or refund eligible fares. This must be completed in your GDS. Please do not contact WestJet to book or direct your clients to contact WestJet.

Terms and conditions

  1. The new flight(s) can depart up to 2 calendar days before or after the original flight time. If there are no available or scheduled flights within 2 calendar days, the next available flight (earlier or later) may be selected for travel.
  2. Removal of old flights and rebooking of the new flight(s) must be done directly in your GDS.
  3. A reroute is permitted provided the origin and destination are the same.
  4. Direct, connecting or WestJet-marketed codeshare flights can be used when reaccommodating.
  5. You are permitted to change to a geographically close airport within 320 kilometres/200 miles. For example: YVR/YXX, FLL/MIA.
  6. If the outbound/inbound date has been changed by WestJet, you are moving the flight to the next calendar day or the next operating flight is not on the same calendar day as the original flight, you can move the outbound/inbound by the same amount of time.
    • Example: The original outbound flight was scheduled to depart September 1 and the inbound flight was scheduled to depart September 7. If the outbound flight was moved to September 2 due to a schedule change, you are permitted to move the inbound flight to September 8.
  7. In cases where the original flight is still available, you can accept the new flights or reinstate the original flights in your GDS.
  8. For requests outside of the above guidelines, please contact our Travel Support Team to discuss options.

Refunds to original form of payment are permitted for clients who incur a qualifying schedule change (TK/UN) outside 72 hours of their originally scheduled departure. You and your client have the option of keeping the ticket in open status or refunding to original form of payment. Regular fare rules apply when reissuing the ticket.

For details on ticket validity and travel credits, visit our page here.

For travel to/from the U.S.: As per U.S. DOT regulations, it is recommended to provide a refund to original form of payment for impacted flights to/from the U.S.

Non-refundable and refundable fares: Refunds for non-refundable and refundable fares due to qualifying schedule change scenario(s) can be processed in your GDS. Any applicable penalty fees are waived.

NOTE: EMDs issued through the GDS are eligible for refund in the event of a qualifying schedule change. Please process refunds through your GDS.

Rebooking flights

  1. Rebook in the original class of service in the same cabin.
    • For UltraBasic (A, E), Econo (L, K, T, X, S, N, Q, H) and EconoFlex (M, B, Y), if the original class of service is not available, rebook at the next highest fare class up to and including Y class.
    • For Premium (R, O) and PremiumFlex (W), if the original class of service is not available, rebook at the next highest fare class up to and including W class.
    • For Business (D, C) and BusinessFlex (J), if the original class of service is not available, rebook at the next highest fare class up to and including J class.
    • If a seat is not available in the same cabin, you will need to select a different flight.

Note: If you are reissuing as a result of another airline’s schedule change that is part of your 838 ticket, you may rebook to the same marketing/operating carrier and class of service or change to a WS-marketed/operated flight in the same cabin.

Reissuing tickets

  1. The ticket must be reissued as an even exchange.
  2. Enter waiver code SKCHG into the ticketendorsement field.
  3. Notify your client of the new flight information.
  4. For unticketed PNRs, if a qualifying schedule change has occurred, issue the ticket against the original stored/saved fare and enter the waiver code into the endorsement field.
  5. If you need to process a name correction at the same time as the schedule change, you must enter both the schedule change waiver code and the name correction waiver code in the endorsement field.

Refund process

  1. Remove/cancel all flights segments from your reservation.
  2. Complete the refund in your GDS or IAR.
  3. Enter waiver code SKCHGin the refund waiver code field.
    • Exception for Travelport users only: If the refund waiver code field is not available in Travelport, the waiver code may be entered in the OSI field.
  4. At-source commission is to be recalled at the time of the refund.
  5. Fare and taxes including YQ are eligible for refund with the below exception for non-refundable taxes. If the taxes listed below are refunded, an ADM will be issued.
    • Non-refundable taxes: L8 and DO for Punta Cana (PUJ), Puerto Plata (POP), Samana (AZS), La Romana (LRM).

IROPs

In the event of an IROP, WestJet will attempt to notify your client of the changes. Please ensure you add SSR CTCE contact details to ensure your clients can be notified of these types of changes. You are also responsible for notifying your client of changes.

Please note:

  • For travel to/from the U.S.: As per U.S. DOT regulations, if your client does not travel due to an IROP and meets the requirements, they are eligible for a refund. You will receive a QQ message if your client’s booking is eligible for a refund.
  • For travel to all other destinations (excluding U.S.): For cases where you do not cancel the flight segments prior to departure and your client does not travel, this will be considered a no-show and funds will be forfeit. This applies even in cases where your client did not accept the changes.

If an IROP occurs on another airline’s operated flight, please contact the operating airline directly.

  1. If the IROP is acceptable and the ETKT was auto-revalidated or exchanged by WestJet, no further action is required.
  2. If the IROP is acceptable but the ETKT has not been revalidated or exchanged by WestJet, the ticket must be reissued.

Note: In the event your client experiences a cabin downgrade due to IROP, BSP tickets are eligible to submit a refund application. The ticket will be reviewed for partial refund. The process for ARC tickets can be found on our cabin downgrade refund page.

Terms and conditions

  1. If you are unable to make the change and your client contacts WestJet, we will process the requested change for any flights departing within 72 hours.
  2. New flight(s) can depart within 2 calendar days before or after the original flight time.
    • If there are no available or scheduled flights within 2 calendar days, the next available flight (earlier or later) may be selected or you can contact WestJet directly to discuss options for rebooking your client onto an alternate carrier.
  3. Removal of old flights and rebooking the new flight(s) can be done directly in your GDS.
  4. Rerouting is permitted provided the origin and destination are the same.
  5. Direct, connecting or WestJet-marketed codeshare flights can be used when reaccommodating.
  6. You are permitted to change to a geographically close airport) within 320 kilometres/200 miles). For example: YVR/YXX, FLL/MIA.
  7. If the outbound/inbound date has been changed by WestJet, or you are moving the flight to the new calendar day or the next operating flight is not on the same calendar day as the original flight, you can move the outbound/inbound by the same amount of time.
    • Example: The original outbound flight was scheduled to depart September 1 and the inbound flight was scheduled to depart September 7. If the outbound flight was moved to September 2 due to an IROP, you are permitted to move the inbound flight to September 8.
  8. For requests outside of the above guidelines, please contact our Travel Support Team to discuss options.

Refunds to original form of payment are permitted for clients who incur a qualifying flight disruption (TK/UN) within 72 hours of their originally scheduled departure. Your client has the option of keeping the ticket in open status or refunding to original form of payment. Regular fare rules apply when reissuing the ticket.

For details on ticket validity and travel credits, click here.

For travel to/from the U.S.: As per U.S. DOT regulations, it is recommended to provide a refund to original form of payment for impacted flights to/from the U.S.

Non-refundable and refundable fares: Refunds for non-refundable and refundable fares due to a qualifying IROP scenario(s), can be processed in your GDS. Any applicable penalty fees are waived.

NOTE: If your client was impacted by an IROP and one of the below occurred, they may wish to request a partial refund for the remaining connection value:

  • Your client was only able to fly a portion of their connection flight, or;
  • Your client did not travel to their final destination and was returned to their original origin city.

To learn how to process a request for a partial refund, please visit the Air Passenger Protection Regulations page.

NOTE: EMDs issued through the GDS are eligible for refund in the event of a qualifying schedule change. Please process refunds through your GDS.

Rebooking flights

  1. Rebook in the original class of service in the same cabin.
    • For UltraBasic (A, E), Econo (L, K, T, X, S, N, Q, H) and EconoFlex (M, B, Y), if the original class of service is not available, rebook at the next highest fare class up to and including Y class.
    • For Premium (R, O) and PremiumFlex (W), if the original class of service is not available, rebook at the next highest fare class up to and including W class.
    • For Business (D, C) and BusinessFlex (J), if the original class of service is not available, rebook at the next highest fare class up to and including J class.
    • If a seat is not available in the same cabin, you will need to select a different flight.

Reissuing tickets

  1. The ticket must be reissued as an even exchange.
  2. Enter waiver code INVOL into the ticket endorsement field.
  3. Notify your client of the new flight information.

Refund process for scenarios that can be self-managed in the GDS

  1. Remove/cancel all flights segments from the reservation.
  2. Complete the refund in your GDS or IAR.
  3. Enter waiver code INVOL in the refund waiver code field.
    • Exception for Travelport users only: If the refund waiver code field is not available in Travelport, the waiver code may be entered in the OSI field.
  4. At-source commission is to be recalled at the time of the refund.
  5. Fare and taxes including YQ are eligible for refund with the below exception for non-refundable taxes. If the taxes listed below are refunded, an ADM will be issued.
    • Non-refundable taxes: L8 and DO for Punta Cana (PUJ), Puerto Plata (POP), Samana (AZS), La Romana (LRM)

Rebooking flights

  1. Determine availability in Economy cabin based on number of seats required for the group. Divide PNR based on the number of seats allowed by your GDS.
  2. Rebook flight in EconoFlex (M,B or Y) in the economy cabin.
    • EconoFlex (M, B, Y) as the original fare class (G) will not be available in your GDS.
    • If a seat is not available in the economy cabin, you will need to select a different flight

Note: Standard fare rules apply for seat selection. The collection of applicable seat fees is required.

Reissuing tickets

  1. The ticket must be reissued as an even exchange.
  2. Enter waiver code INVOL into the ticket endorsement field.
  3. Your client must be notified of the new flight information.

Refund process

  1. Remove/cancel all flight segments from the reservation.
  2. Complete the refund in your GDS or IAR.
  3. Enter waiver code INVOL in your refund waiver code field.
    • Exception for Travelport users only: If the refund waiver code field is not available in Travelport, the waiver code may be entered in the OSI field.
  4. At-source commission is to be recalled at the time of the refund.
  5. Fare and taxes including YQ are eligible for refund with the below exception for non-refundable taxes. If the taxes listed below are refunded, an ADM will be issued.
    • Non-refundable taxes: L8 and DO for Punta Cana (PUJ), Puerto Plata (POP), Samana (AZS), La Romana (LRM)

Passenger Rights

In the event of a schedule change, your client may be entitled to standards of treatment due to a disruption to their travel plans.

Learn more >