WestJet Agrees to $4.5 Million Settlement in Sexual Harassment Class Action Suit

WestJet has agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle a 10-year-old sexual harassment class-action lawsuit involving more than 3,000 flight attendants.

While WestJet said in a statement that it is “pleased” to have reached a settlement, the airline denied the allegations of the lawsuit and admitted no liability or wrongdoing.

Former flight attendant Mandalena Lewis alleged that a pilot sexually assaulted her on a layover in Hawaii in 2010. After she launched a lawsuit in 2016, other women who worked for the airline came forward with their own allegations and the case was certified as a class action by the B.C. Court of Appeal in 2022.

The flight attendants alleged WestJet failed to provide a safe workplace with adequate anti-harassment measures. 

Lewis was fired for insubordination after demanding for months to see her employment record to determine whether WestJet took any action on her complaint. She told CBC News on Wednesday she is relieved the case is over, but doesn’t feel like the plaintiffs got “full justice.” 

“It’s the best we could get given the circumstances. I had to fight tooth and nail for these slivers,” Lewis said.

The $4.5 million will be distributed among 3,452 flight attendants after expenses are deducted, including legal fees, which works out to about $400 per person.

WestJet said in an email to CBC News it is “committed to strengthening our operations and training, focused on the safety and well-being of all WestJetters” and “focused on advancing a culture of empowerment.”

Under the terms of the settlement, WestJet is ordered to retain a third-party consultant to conduct a workplace assessment to determine the prevalence of harassment in the workplace, the extent of underreporting and how to make reporting and response systems more effective.