A B.C. family that sprinted through Calgary airport only to be denied boarding on their WestJet flight to Kelowna has won more than $5,300 in compensation after a tribunal ruled the airline falsely blamed weather for the mess.Adam Green, his wife, and their three kids were heading home from Phoenix in 2024 when their connection to Kelowna was delayed. Despite having 37 minutes to make it, they raced through security and reached the gate in time — but WestJet refused to let them on board.“The flight was not overbooked,” wrote adjudicator Alissa Reynolds of the B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal. “WestJet does not explain why it made that decision.”.Instead, the airline tried to pin the problem on bad weather, claiming the family wasn’t entitled to compensation. The tribunal rejected the excuse, noting the Greens made it to the gate while other passengers were still boarding.The family was stranded overnight in Calgary, arriving in Kelowna 18 hours late. They were awarded $1,000 each plus $323 in expenses..Under federal rules passed in 2019, passengers can receive between $400 and $25,000 for delays and service failures.But few ever bother.A 2024 survey by the Canadian Transportation Agency found just 3% of passengers who experienced problems actually filed complaints, and only 43% of those said airlines were helpful in resolving them.
