Couple takes WestJet to court for delayed flights to Toronto and wins

A small claims court in Nova Scotia just awarded hundreds of dollars to a couple who flew to Toronto last Christmas after their WestJet flight was delayed by more than three hours.

A small claims court in Nova Scotia just awarded hundreds of dollars to a Halifax couple who flew to Toronto last Christmas after their WestJet flight was delayed by more than three hours.

"It never hurts to take a kick at the can and I was very pleased we won the case," Eliza Richardson told CTV News Toronto.

Richardson and her husband, Ben Friedrich, planned to fly to Toronto from Halifax on Dec. 23, 2022, but their flight was cancelled due to inclement weather and rescheduled for Christmas Day.

Their flight was repeatedly delayed on the day of their trip, and they arrived in Toronto three hours and 45 minutes later than expected.

"I wasn't too happy about that. At least we spent Christmas evening with my family and Boxing Day with my husband's family," said Richardson.

While the first cancellation was due to a storm, the delay on Christmas was not weather-related.

According to airline compensation rules in Canada, if a disruption is within an airline's control and not related to safety, it must pay compensation of $400 if a flight is 3 to 6 hours late, $700 if it's 6 to 9 hours late and $1,000 if it's more than 9 hours late.