Attendants
WestJet offers a variety of assistance services to assist guests with special needs.
You may travel with a personal attendant if, during the flight, you require services beyond the assistance services we provide for all guests with special needs, which may include assistance with:
- eating, using the lavatory or taking medication
- transferring to and from a passenger seat
- orientation or communication,
- physical assistance in the event of an emergency including in the case of an evacuation or decompression.
If, during the flight, you require assistance with personal care needs beyond the assistance services we provide for all guests with special needs, you may be provided with an accommodation for an adjacent seat for your attendant for a base fare of $0 (applicable taxes and fees must still be collected) on Canadian flights only.
We require the completion of the WestJet Medical Information Form in order to confirm the declaration of non-self-reliance and to determine if an attendant is needed beyond the our standard assistance services.
You will need to submit this form a minimum of 48 business hours before flight departure to ensure adequate time for review. We will make a reasonable effort for requests made within 48 hours before flight departure.
If you are approved for a personal attendant accommodation:
- the base fare for your attendant will be $0 (applicable taxes and airport fees must still be collected). Please note: this allowance is only applicable to guests travelling on WestJet or WestJet Encore aircraft operating within Canada only; if you are travelling with another airline or a WestJet partner airline, you must contact that airline to inquire about their service offering.
- you will be required to travel with a personal attendant on all WestJet and WestJet Encore flights.
Although WestJet does not provide a discount on the fare for an attendant on flights to/from the U.S., or other international locations, if you complete the WestJet Medical Information Form (not required for travel between Canada and the U.S., or for international travel) this allows us to assess your need for adjacent seating for an attendant.
Note: if you are approved for a personal attendant accommodation, you will be required to travel with a personal attendant on all WestJet and WestJet Encore flights.
If you have been approved to travel with a personal attendant, your attendant must meet the following criteria, otherwise you and your personal attendant will be denied transport until this criteria is met:
- be 18 years of age or older
- not personally require any assistance from WestJet or others (including service dog)
- not be responsible for the needs of any other guest on the flight including an infant or child
- remain with, and be seated adjacent to, the guest with a disability
- be fully capable of attending to their own and the guest's physical and mental care needs during the flight. It is not necessary for this person to be medically trained, and they are not expected to assist the guest with transferring to and from a wheelchair and/or their seat or for placing the guest’s carry-on baggage in the overhead bin (though the personal attendant may choose to perform these tasks).
You may request one person to be your personal attendant from the originating city, and a different one returning from the destination.
WestJet will complete this change at no charge up until two hours before flight departure.
When we have been provided with a minimum of 48 hours advance notice, you and your personal attendant will:
- not be placed in a row that contains an emergency exit, including the over wing emergency exit.
- be assigned seating based on any identified disability or special service request code. All seating accommodations will be offered in areas identified to be the most appropriate location for a specific disability based on the aircraft operating the flight.
- be seated in the same cabin, in adjacent seats or across the aisle (depending on your needs and the aircraft model). You may need approval from the medical desk to travel in Premium or Business seating or our Boeing 787 Dreamliner as these seats may restrict the ability of your attendant to assist you.
- be allowed to board before other guests in order to allow you time you locate your seat and store your personal item and carry-on baggage. Once general boarding begins, you may be required to board after other passengers.
- We will make every reasonable effort to accommodate requests made within 48 hours.