Had Purchased A Seat For The Instrument On WestJet

Cellist Nathan Chan had an issue with WestJet over the holidays when he was told he could not use a ticket he had purchased for his instrument for that purpose.

Writing on the classical music blog Slipped Disc, Chan said he always purchases an extra seat for his instrument to prevent damage should it be carried in a cargo hold. But when he arrived to check in for his red-eye flight from Vancouver to New York on WestJet, he was told the airline has a strict policy to not allow instruments to be transported in seats. He says he was given the choice of checking the cello or leaving it behind, abandoning the ticket he had purchased for it.

Airline representative Robert Barron told Chan that the policy was for the safety of the instrument, and that the have no way of securing the large instrument in a seat designed for a person. However, Chan says that the industry standard is to use a seatbelt extender to loop the belt through the handle of the case.

Eventually, Chan left the instrument with his family in Vancouver, and spent $1,000 to have someone fly to New York with his cello on an airline that allows the instruments as cabin baggage. He says he has filed for a refund from American Airlines, which booked the ticket using a codeshare with WestJet, but he said that as of this week he has not received a refund for the empty seat on the sold-out flight.

(Image from file)

FMI: Blog