You can save money on WestJet by booking through a travel agent. Wait, what?
If you were to ask me directly, I will always say, flight pricing is constant between travel agent and the airlines. How is it that WestJet will willingly undercut their own website and offer travel agents a cheaper price? Well, they do, most airlines do, however, WestJet is the most visible. Google Flights openly advertises WestJet flights that are cheaper through a travel agent, than directly on WestJet.com.
Saving Money on Travel
I am one of the few full service travel agents who helps people with their end-to-end itinerary planning. As part of my work, I often come across different opportunities to help customers save money. I hope to share some of my findings with the wider public. As usual, in the world of travel hacking, not everything will be shared publicly. Too much public exposure can often undermine the deal we work to get for our customers.
Other posts about saving money include:
- Save Money by Purchasing Two One-Way Ticket
- Save Money with Air Canada Same Day Change
- Save Money by Searching on Several Travel Portals
- Save Money by Checking Air Canada US Dollar and Air Canada Canadian Dollar Website
- Save Money by Checking WestJet US Dollar and WestJet Canadian Dollar Website
- Save Money on WestJet by Booking with a Travel Agent
Online Flight Search
Imagine you want to fly from Vancouver to Toronto on April 17. You search on Google Flights (though I would argue Google Flights can be inaccurate as well). You see that Air Canada and Porter are similar prices at $268. WestJet, however, is cheaper than even Flair Airlines, at $180.
You click through, and you realize, WestJet is the exact same price as Air Canada and Porter, if you book through their website. $268 for basic. However, you can also book from smaller travel agencies for a price significantly lower than what is being offered on WestJet.com.
If you expand your search to include Econo and EconoFlex, you will come across the following fare options on WestJet.com. $268 for basic, $291 for Econo and $354 for EconoFlex.
What’s the catch?
Well, if you buy a basic ticket, really, there is no catch. Your ticket is non refundable, non changeable. The only challenge is, if there is an issue on the day of travel, WestJet and the travel agency might point fingers at each other, to identify who is responsible of re-booking you to your final destination. If that is not a concern, you absolutely should buy the ticket from a cheaper travel agent.
What if you want flexibility?
But what if you want to buy an Econo and EconoFlex? You would like some flexibility, but you also enjoy the cheaper fare. Well, if I opened up one of my many travel agent systems, I see the following fares: $197.10 for Basic, $210.12 for Econo and $266.82 for EconoFlex.
In comparison to the WestJet site, you will save $77 for basic, $81 for Econo and $92 for EconoFlex, by booking a discounted fare through a travel agent.
This is where things get slightly more complicated. The travel agent system of Econo and EconoFlex do not align with the WestJet website definition. There are four main components of a fare category; change, seat selection, same day change and baggage fees. I am not commenting on cancellation fee because all domestic Economy class bookings are non-refundable in Economy Class.
If you were to book the Econo fare category, which is $81 cheaper through an agent, the differences between the two fares are highlighted below:
- Standard Fare will have a $100 change fee when booked through the WestJet website. $200 change fee when booking a discounted fare through a travel agent.
- EconoFlex will have no change fee when booked through the WestJet website. $200 change fee when booking a discounted fare through a travel agent.
To clarify, as a travel agent, I give my client a choice of both, the WestJet pricing and the travel agent discounted pricing. If you book it at the WestJet.com pricing, then the change fees will be the same as what you would get when booking directly through WestJet.com.
Why book EconoFlex when Econo has the same change fee through a travel agent?
Quite simply, EconoFlex comes with complimentary seat selection, one checked bag and same day change.
If you value any of these perks, that would be the only reason to spend more money when booking a discounted ticket through a travel agent.
Other Gotchas?
The other gotchas are very similar through booking outside of the airline. The biggest concern is, if your travel plans change, you cannot get that money into a WestJet travel bank. That ticket value will be retained on the ticket itself. The ticket will also be controlled by a travel agency. I have personally never booked through Ly.com, but I imagine they do not have the best customer service. In the case of flight disruptions, the airlines can often ask you to go back to your travel agent, and if they are not easily available, you might be stuck between the airline and the travel agent.
Conclusion
Personally, I book these discounted fares very frequently. But I am often very clear, the moment I pay any change fee, I will lose out on any financial benefit. I only recommend booking them if travel plans are confirmed with no possibility of changing plans. The great thing about these fares is that they can often be available last minute as well. If so, these fares are a great way to save money!
