WestJet Cancels Flights as Talks with Pilots’ Union Reach Critical Impasse
Key Highlights :
Travel plans of thousands of passengers have been jeopardized as WestJet has started to cancel flights due to an impasse in talks with the pilots’ union. The Air Line Pilots Association had issued a strike notice on Monday, and with no resolution in sight, the Calgary-based company has begun to park its fleet.
As of Thursday morning, the carrier had cancelled 92 flights or 17 per cent for that day, according to aviation data firm Cirium. Few flight cancellations had registered for Friday and afterward. But passengers are now unable to make online bookings for flights on major routes such as Calgary-Vancouver and Toronto-Calgary until Tuesday. WestJet's online daily flight status tracker showed 32 of its 162 listed departures out of its Calgary hub had been cancelled, while 20 of the airline's 50 flights out of Toronto's Pearson airport had also been scrapped.
The federal labour minister and the government's head mediator as well as WestJet's CEO and the pilots' union leaders have all descended on a hotel near the Toronto airport to work toward a deal. Bernard Lewall, who heads the union's WestJet contingent, says the workers' issues revolve around pay, job security and scheduling, with pilots earning roughly half of what some of their U.S. counterparts make. The company said Thursday the union's wage expectations were "unreasonable" and would "permanently damage the financial viability of the group's future."
WestJet carries 28 per cent of Canada's domestic market, while Air Canada runs 47 per cent, according to Cirium. The airline has advised travellers to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport, and to visit WestJet's guest updates webpage or Swoop's website for more information on flight status and travel changes.
The impasse between WestJet and the pilots’ union has caused a disruption in the travel plans of thousands of passengers, and the situation is still developing. The federal labour minister, government mediator, WestJet CEO, and the pilots’ union leaders are all working hard to find a resolution. In the meantime, travellers are advised to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport and to visit WestJet's guest updates webpage or Swoop's website for more information on flight status and travel changes.
