Had to cancel our PV trip - here’s how Costco and WestJet dealt with it

Booked a Puerto Vallarta trip in November through Costco Travel for Feb 26–March 5.

2 adults, 1 toddler, 1 lap infant. Three seats total.

After the violence in Puerto Vallarta made the news on Sunday, we went back and forth on whether to still go. Odds were probably low that tourists would be impacted, but when you’re traveling with a toddler and a baby, low probability doesn’t mean low risk. We decided to cancel. I’m still gutted over the decision because I love Mexico and hope to rebook soon.

Our Costco package included Hard Rock nights and WestJet flights. Hard Rock waived their cancellation fees right away. WestJet would not.

We were looking at 4 x $175 cancellation penalties from WestJet - $700 total. At one point Costco Travel was told by WestJet that the fees would be waived. Then that changed because of “wordings.” No flexibility. No discretion.

Even Costco Travel thought the way Westjet was handling the situation was poor… Costco decided to split the $700 penalties with us as a goodwill gesture. Thanks to Costco we are only out $350 while Costco shares the other half. Westjet will get their entire $700 of penalty fees. And don’t forget $175 is for a lap infant without a seat.

Friends of ours booked the exact same package dates, same destination, but their package included flights from Alaska Airlines. They received full refunds.

Yes, we didn’t purchase trip insurance. That’s on us, lesson learned. But this wasn’t a random change of plans, it was an evolving safety situation. Some discretion would have gone a long way, especially for families traveling with small kids.

Instead, it was policy over people. Congratulations WestJet, you saved $700.