An update on WestJet’s progress on ensuring a gender inclusive booking and check-in experience

Canadian Aviation News

By WestJet | June 8, 2022

At WestJet, it is our commitment to ensure our guests have an equitable travel experience and we owe a further explanation and apology regarding our progress on adding non-binary options to our booking and check-in systems.

In 2019, we welcomed the Government of Canada’s announcement regarding the implementation of gender X in the sex field of Canadian passports and made a commitment to make the necessary changes to our technology and systems to support the travel journey of our non-binary guests.

Originally, we anticipated the necessary technological changes required through our systems would take roughly one year to implement; however, due to several setbacks resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are disappointed that we have not been able to deliver upon our commitment in the timeframe we expected, and that the implementation has been delayed.

While we have encountered several unexpected roadblocks with our third-party providers to implement gender X into our booking and check-in systems, we are committed to rectifying these issues to stay true to our goals of creating an inclusive environment for everyone in WestJet’s world.

We are currently working to address several items including:

  • Implementing changes to our domestic reservation systems to include gender X by the end of 2022.
  • Investing in third-party software to move away from legacy practices and remove the need for a gender assignment to calculate weight distribution on our aircraft.
  • Advocating to third-party providers to enable gender X as part of our check-in process for international bookings.
  • Engaging with our WestJetters and community members on how we can better support non-binary inclusion across our airline.    

As we work to ensure the option of gender X across our systems, we apologize for the frustration and disappointment this has caused and know there remains significant work to be done in this space.  

We appreciate our guests’ patience as we make these necessary changes and are committed to sharing updates and progress in real time, as we prioritize the work that needs to be done to offer a non-binary option into our booking and check-in systems.