WestJet Strike Update: Hundreds of Flights Canceled Amid Flight Attendant Walkout

One day into a strike by WestJet flight attendants, more than 600 flights have been canceled, and expectations are that conditions will worsen before a labor deal is reached.

As of Sunday morning, all flights, aside from WestJet’s regional service on Encore, have been suspended through Sunday, Aug. 2. According to FlightAware, that includes about 500 flights on Sunday, as well as flights on Swoop and Sunwing, both of which were integrated into the WestJet fleet over the past year. There’s also another 100 WestJet flights on Monday already shelved.

CUPE Local 8125, which represents roughly 4,400 flight attendants at the carrier, walked off the job after midnight on Sunday morning after the expiry of a 72-hour strike notice. Union leadership said talks continued until the deadline, but WestJet’s final proposal did not sufficiently address unpaid ground duty hours, such as time spent boarding and handling tarmac delays.

“We tried until the very last minute to get a fair deal that recognizes the value of the work cabin crews do,” said Alia Hussain, president of the CUPE WestJet component. “WestJet’s offer did not go far enough.”

WestJet Chief Executive Officer Alexis von Hoensbroech said that the airline offered a proposal that included a double-digit wage increase in year one and an hourly rate covering pre- and post-flight ground time. But the union didn’t relent.

The grounding is mostly impacting WestJet’s major Canadian hubs, with Calgary International Airport—the airline’s primary operational base—facing the most concentration of flight disruptions, alongside major airports in Vancouver, Toronto, and Edmonton. The timing coincides with Canada’s busy August long weekend, making it difficult for impacted passengers to find alternate flights.

For the moment, WestJet has issued a fee waiver for travel through Aug. 5, allowing passengers who have not received a cancellation notice to change their flights at no additional cost. WestJet is notifying all affected guests directly by email or text.