WestJet Flight Attendants Strike Halts Hundreds of Flights

More than 4,000 flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees walked off the job on Sunday, prompting WestJet to cancel roughly 500–600 flights that weekend. The strike began shortly after 2 a.m. Eastern after negotiations in Calgary failed to produce a new labor contract. The airline’s most popular domestic routes and several international services were affected, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers.

New York TimesAssociated Press

The union’s primary demand is compensation for ground duties—such as boarding assistance and safety briefings—that it says are currently unpaid. It also seeks a wage increase beyond the airline’s proposal. WestJet’s latest offer includes a 13 % wage rise in October, followed by 2.5 % increases each January for three years, retroactive pay to the previous January, and additional pay for all hours worked, which the airline says amounts to another 12 % salary increase. The proposal also adds higher meal per diems, expanded vacation allowance, and enhanced maternity leave.

Associated Press

Passengers faced immediate challenges securing accommodations and alternative transportation. One traveler, a systems administrator stranded in British Columbia, was offered a rescheduled flight for early August but remained uncertain about lodging, noting that existing Airbnb and car-rental bookings were already full. He also expressed concern about missing a national billiards competition and his girlfriend’s nursing shifts.

Associated Press

WestJet’s CEO, Alexis von Hoensbroech, said the company’s proposal would have set a new industry standard by offering an hourly rate covering all time before and after flights, along with a double-digit wage increase in the first year. The union’s president, Alia Hussain, argued that the airline’s latest offer fell short of the crew’s expectations and called on the Canadian government to allow negotiations to continue without interference.

Associated Press

• “We presented a proposal that would have set a new standard for cabin crew in Canada, making WestJet the only airline to offer an hourly rate covering all time before and after flights, plus a double-digit wage increase in year one among other priorities the union raised,” — Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of the WestJet Group

Associated Press

• “WestJet’s offer did not go far enough,” — Alia Hussain, president of the union chapter that represents the cabin crew

Associated Press