NO DEAL: WestJet Flight Attendants Walk Off the Job

Tens of thousands of Canadians will have their summer travel plans disrupted as more than 4,000 WestJet flight attendants walked off the job at midnight Calgary time.

Before the strike began, WestJet had cancelled around 300 August 1-3 flights pre-emptively, to prevent passengers, crew and aircraft from being stranded. At an assumed average of 150 passengers per flight on WestJet’s 737s and 787s, close to 50,000 passengers had already seen their flights disappear before the labour action kicked off.

“We’re disappointed to be here, this directly impacts the travel plans of our guests, our WestJetters and the communities and businesses we serve,” said WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech. 

“Our focus remains on staying available for the union to reach an agreement. 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. Unfortunately, it wasn’t accepted.” 

Negotiators for the airline and its workers were in talks right up to the hour when the union was in a legal strike position. 

The airline says all impacted guests will be refunded or reaccommodated, as applicable. Guests who booked directly with WestJet will receive updates via the email provided at booking. Those who booked through a travel advisor or third-party platform are being advised to reach out to them directly. 

For Canadian travellers, it’s a bit of a déjà vu moment, as Air Canada flight attendants went on strike in August of last year. They were ordered back to work by the government within 12 hours, but defied the edict. 

The airline and the flight attendants’ union representing 10,000 flight attendants reached a tentative agreement on August 19, 2025, with the assistance of a chief mediator appointed by the federal government. It then took several days for service to return to normal. Air Canada estimated the cost of the strike at $375 million.

Following the announcement of the strike, the WestJet Component of CUPE released a statement saying it is ready to continue negotiating and urging the government to refrain from intervention.

“We hope the federal government will not interfere and will let the bargaining process run its course,” said Alia Hussain, CUPE 8125 president. “Unpaid work is a big piece of our priorities, but we are bargaining for a comprehensive contract.

“We would not be here if they had taken our concerns seriously for almost 11 months of bargaining.”

Last night, WestJet sent out a press release detailing the most recent offer it made to the union.  The airline said it is offering its flight attendants a 13% pay hike in the first year, followed by 2.5% in the second, third and fourth years of the contract.

The numbers aren’t dissimilar to what Air Canada crew members achieved last year, but CUPE says there was already a pay gap between Canada’s biggest and second-biggest airlines that needs to be addressed. As another point of comparison, Air Transat flight attendants negotiated a cumulative 30% wage increase over five years back in 2022.

In a social media post early Sunday, federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu called the strike a disappointing development. 

“Our top mediators have been working with CUPE and WestJet around the clock and remain available to help them reach a deal as soon as possible,” Hajdu said. “The federal government will always maintain that the strongest deals happen at the table.”

At the heart of the dispute is what the union calls “unpaid work.” WestJet says its pay model “combines flight time, ground duties, delays, and other required work into a single, higher rate of pay.” The airline calls it “the standard pay model for cabin crew across North America.” 

But CUPE says its members are working an average of about 35 hours each month without pay, including when they’re helping passengers board planes, or during ground delays.