According to flight data, WestJet replaced the aircraft scheduled for Vanderwilk's route with a different plane — one that had already been grounded for two days.

Then, in the same minute, the flight was cancelled.

After a previous Go Public report into similar complaints, dozens of passengers came forward with nearly identical stories. Go Public analyzed flight data tied to those complaints and identified 34 cases where passengers were denied compensation after their aircraft were swapped — in some instances, within minutes of cancellation.

In each case, WestJet cited safety-related maintenance.