Airline also introduces price-drop guarantee

westjetWestJet new baggage fee take effect today. WestJet announced it will charge a $25 fee for a first checked bag on Econo fares for travel within Canada and between Canada and the U.S. The new fee will only apply to bookings made today onward, for travel on or after October 29, 2014. Guests flying to any of WestJet’s international destinations including Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe may continue to check a first bag at no charge.

This change, which will apply to Econo fares only, is expected to affect approximately one in five WestJet guests. Guests who select a Flex fare will receive one free checked bag while guests choosing a Plus fare will enjoy two complimentary checked bags in addition to waived fees, seat selection, more legroom and many other amenities.

WestJet also today launched its new WestJet Rewards tiers program featuring three levels where guests who qualify for the Silver tier will be able to check a first bag at no cost.

The airline also introduced a price-drop guarantee today on WestJet flights and WestJet Vacations packages. Guests who see that the price of their flight or their vacation package has dropped since their original purchase can receive the difference in WestJet dollars.

“Today’s announcements are further evidence of our commitment to our guests as Canada’s low-fare leader,” said Bob Cummings, WestJet Executive Vice-President, Sales, Marketing and Guest Experience.

“As we continue to evolve our fare products, we are creating more value by offering our guests the opportunity to purchase only those services they want. This user-pay type of system allows us to keep fares as low as possible, introduce lower sale fares and avoid fare increases, which benefits you and liberates even more Canadians from the high cost of air travel. Our guests can now book with confidence with the WestJet price-drop guarantee.”