WestJet passengers brace for disruptions as flight attendant strike looms
As WestJet’s flight attendants prepare to walk off the job as soon as Sunday if a deal isn’t reached by then, passengers are bracing for disruptions.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents WestJet’s 4,400 flight attendants, issued a 72-hour strike notice early Thursday morning. In response, WestJet issued a 72-hour lockout notice of its own.
A strike notice doesn’t mean flight attendants have to walk off the job, but according to a representative for the union, the two sides are still far apart on some key issues.
That has passengers like Ken Wallin worried that they won’t be taking off as planned.
He and his wife are supposed to fly to Ireland to celebrate their 29th wedding anniversary on Monday. They’ve been saving for the vacation since they had to cancel their last trip due to the pandemic.
The union representing 4,400 flight attendants at WestJet says it has issued a 72-hour strike notice, paving the runway for a possible strike during a busy summer travel season. WestJet, in a statement, said the airline responded to the union’s strike notice by issuing a 72-hour lockout notice. A strike could begin as soon as Aug. 2 if the two sides don’t reach a deal.
If the strike disrupts this flight, it’ll mean another scrapped vacation for the pair.
“It’s eight, nine months of planning and a lifetime of waiting … out the window,” said Wallin.
He’s looked into booking with another airline, but Wallin says he hasn’t been able to find any other direct flights at a reasonable price. And while WestJet is letting passengers with flights booked between July 30 and Aug. 4 switch or cancel their bookings at no cost, Wallin is only able to get a travel credit in his case — which isn’t a great option for him, as a not-so-frequent flyer.
“We’re just holding out that it’s all gonna turn out in the end,” Wallin said.
But for other travellers, like Armin Ataee, missing a flight isn’t an option. Ataee travelled to Edmonton to visit his parents with no problems, but he had to rebook his return flight to Vancouver with another airline so he can make another flight out of Vancouver early next week for a conference.
He took the WestJet credit, but had to spend an extra $200 for the last-minute booking back to Vancouver.
“At the end of the day, it was better than losing it all,” Ataee said of the credit. “But there is frustration there because I thought at the very least I would get the cash back.”
Travellers can rebook or wait
WestJet reiterated in their Thursday statement that some passengers can still rebook or cancel flights at no cost.
But only passengers with certain kinds of bookings can get a refund back to their original form of payment. Those who booked PremiumFlex and BusinessFlex flights, or premium and business passengers travelling between Canada and Asia, can get their cash back, and others will get a…
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