WestJet Issues Hurricane Beryl Advisory, Cancels More Flights

WestJet has suspended service to and from Montego Bay and Kingston due to Hurricane Beryl.

The Canadian airline released a service update late Wednesday afternoon, noting that four flights scheduled for July 3 had been cancelled due to safety concerns. Operations will resume when deemed safe.

WestJet has also issued a travel advisory for Cancun as well as Montego Bay and Kingston. Guests traveling to or from Cancun, Montego Bay, and Kingston are encouraged to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

Customers who booked airfare with an advisor will need to contact them directly.

The cancellations are exacerbating the chaos caused by last weekend’s 48-hour WestJet mechanics strike. The Canada long weekend saw tens of thousands of travellers inconvenienced, stressed out, and, in some cases, stranded when WestJet grounded 130 planes across 13 airports.

In a release, sent out Tuesday, July 1, the airline acknowledged the 1,137 cancelled flights had impacted over 100,000 travellers.

On Sunday afternoon (June 30), the airline reached a tentative deal with the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), ending the work stoppage. Although the strike is over, many travellers are still struggling to find alternative flights—including guests in Mexico and Jamaica, who will now have an even longer wait to get home.

“Unfortunately, as July long weekend is a peak travel period across Canada, limited availability exists both within our network and through alternative carriers, making options for reaccommodation extremely challenging,” WestJet said in a statement.

The air carrier is currently working to resume full operations, but this will take time. Grounded aircraft will need to be inspected before they can fly—and then there’s the matter of all the tens of thousands of guests waiting for their flights to be rebooked.

John Gradek, an aviation management professor at McGill University, told Global News it could take up to a week and a half to resolve these issues.

“It’s going to be one, a long process, and two, an expensive process, for WestJet,” he said.

While it’s unclear when this situation will be fully resolved, one thing is clear: the airline has a long road to regain trust—both for customers and travel advisors.