Service dogs

WestJet only accepts dogs to provide services to persons with disabilities. Service dogs must have been trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability. For domestic, international and Caribbean flights, service dogs must be individually trained by an organization or person specializing in service dog training.

We accept one service dog for a person with a disability. If your itinerary includes a flight to or from the U.S., we accept two service dogs for a person with a disability.

If you are travelling with your service dog and your itinerary contains a flight operated by a partner airline, please contact the partner airline to confirm their guidelines.

It is your responsibility and extremely important to ensure your dog meets the entrance and import regulations and the destination specific restrictions for all countries on your itinerary, including those where your flight stops. 

Failure to meet the requirements for where you are travelling may result in your dog being:  

• denied carriage 
• denied entry upon arrival
• returned to your point of departure or country of origin
• quarantined, or
• subject to other measures and restrictions as specified by the local government authority

In nearly all instances, you will be responsible for the fines, fees or costs associated with these actions. 

WestJet assumes no responsibility for inaccurate or incomplete documentation. For import and export regulations, vaccination and documentation requirements, contact the consulate or embassy of the countries you will be entering.

It is your responsibility to comply with the restrictions imposed by the local, regional, or national authority. 

Service dogs are not accepted on flights to or from:

• Bridgetown, Barbados
• Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica
   

Pre-approval is required for service dogs travelling to the following countries:

To ensure adequate notice we recommend that you request to travel with your service dog as soon as possible at least 48 hours before your flight departs. This helps us to arrange appropriate seating for you and your service dog and to greatly reduce the chances that you will be delayed or denied travel.

In cases where notification is not provided 48 hours before departure, we will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your request, which may include delaying you until another WestJet operated flight is available to your destination. 

If you are on a WestJet Vacations package booking, we request a minimum of seven days' notice to arrange suitable accommodations, transfers, car rentals or other services.

To request travel or to add your service dog onto an existing reservation, call us at least 48 hours before your flight departure and ask for the Special Care Desk. Please have any existing reservation code ready for our agent.

Be prepared to answer some questions regarding your service dog and your needs. You will not be asked to disclose your specific disability, however you will be required to confirm that your animal is travelling to assist you with a disability, and what task or service your dog provides.

Service dogs are not permitted in the emergency exit row on any aircraft or to occupy an empty seat.

If your service dog does not fit comfortably at your feet, you can request additional floor space by contacting WestJet at least 48 hours before departure. Additional floor space is free of charge for flights within Canada if your dog requires additional room, and you may purchase a second seat to provide additional floor space for flights outside of Canada.

Please be prepared to discuss your dog's breed, weight, length, height, and width as we use this information to determine the floor space required to accommodate your dog. We will make every reasonable effort for requests made within 48 hours before flight departure.

For service dogs that exceed the safe size and weight limitations to travel in the guest’s cabin of purchase, WestJet may offer to rebook to a later flight to the extent there is space available, or the service dog may be transported in the hold of the aircraft.

Acceptance of the service dog in the hold will be free of charge, subject to the guest providing their own kennel.

WestJet considers all service dogs to be on duty for the duration of their time at the gate and onboard the aircraft.

As such, control measures are always required, specifically, your service dog must:

• be under your control
• wear a harness, vest or collar and leash (tether) or be inside a kennel. Regardless of what control measure is used, it must indicate that the dog is a service dog (or animal), for example, a label on a kennel, or embroidery on the leash, vest or harness
• behave in a manner that indicates the dog has been properly trained to be in public environments
   

WestJet will refuse to transport your dog as a service dog if you do not have the required control measures or your dog demonstrates unacceptable behaviours like:

• running freely
• barking or growling repeatedly at other persons
• biting
• jumping on people
• urinating or defecating in the cabin or gate areas
• causing significant disruption in the cabin or at an airport gate area
   

Every reasonable effort will be made in these cases to identify alternative methods to transport your service dog. If we cannot and your dog is refused travel, we will explain why and follow up in writing within 10 days. 

We recommend guests bring their Registered Identification Card or other written documentation in the event it is required by airport authorities or other service providers.