Vancouver Vacation: Beware of Booking WestJet Flights on Delta.com

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Westjet Loves Delta

Vancouver Vacation Trip Reports:

I am not sure how many of you have flown from Vancouver, BC to Los Angeles, CA, but WestJet has a few flights per day at good prices.

WestJet ITA

In case you are not familiar with WestJet, they are the second largest Canadian airline behind Air Canada and the ninth largest airline in North America (thank you wikipedia).  They are, however, not affiliate with any airline alliance.  For that reason, I was surprised to see WestJet flights bookable on Delta.com.

I used my American Express Delta Credit Card to book 4 WestJet tickets (3 tickets are in a cheaper fare class than the last ticket).  Total charged to the credit card was $839.19.  Read My Delta American Express Credit Card was Stolen… from my Front Door? to find out what happened to my credit card before I booked these tickets.

Delta Bill

After a few days, I logged into my American Express account and saw 4 ticket charges along with 4 foreign transaction fees. Noooooo!  I hate foreign transaction fees!  I ended up paying $867.61, which is $28.42 more than I thought I would pay.

Amex Delta Charges

It is interesting how American Express breaks down the charges into specific ticket details.  On Sunday, $203.13 CAD was equal to $200.21 USD.

Delta Forex Charge

My trading of foreign currency pairs on the FOREX market are behind me, but looking at the CAD/USD exchange rate, it looks like I purchased the tickets at a high price.

XE USD CAN

Afterwards, I called WestJet to get my seat assignments.  I called Westjet at 1-888-WESTJET (1-888-937-8538) but their automated system is so annoying as they try to sell you one of their partner’s cruise packages.

Westjet Contact Us

I decided to use GetHuman.com to make my life easier.  I found WestJet’s GetHuman page and clicked the Start Call-Back button.

Get Human WestJet

All you have to do is enter your phone number and click the Call Me Back button.  After a few minutes, the phone rings and you have a live person!  Technology at its finest!

Call me back WestJet

The representative sounded British not Canadian and informed me that selecting your seats cost $15 per person.  $15 per person sounded like a lot of money but he told me that WestJet doesn’t charge any baggage fees, which is always nice.  He tried to make a joke that US airlines let you pick your seat for free but charge you for your baggage, while WestJet does the opposite.

Have you every flown on WestJet?  What was your experience with WestJet?  Leave a comment below.


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3 thoughts on “Vancouver Vacation: Beware of Booking WestJet Flights on Delta.com

  1. Pingback: July Credit Card Updates: New Discover It Details, Lufthansa | Travel with Grant

  2. Seth

    Thanks for this post. Is it better, then, to book via WestJet’s own site? Would I still earn SkyMiles (and MQMs) if I do, or no?

    Reply
    1. Grant

      I’m not sure. You will earn the miles if you use your Delta SkyMikes account but I’m not sure about the MQMs. Might be worth it to pay the forex fee through Delta’s website.

      Reply

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