WestJet announced it is consolidating its FEB flight schedules by 20 per cent through 01FEB to 28FEB.
The airline’s decision to reduce its schedule is the result of Omicron affecting its staffing levels, as well as “the prolonged impact of government barriers on our business.”
“As we continue to navigate the unpredictability of the Omicron variant on our staffing levels along with the ongoing barriers to international travel, we are making every effort to proactively manage our schedule in order to minimize disruption to our guests’ travel plans,” said Harry Taylor, interim WestJet Group president and CEO.
“To our guests impacted by these additional consolidations, we sincerely apologize for the disruption and appreciate your continued understanding and patience.”
Over the coming days, WestJet said affected travellers will be notified of changes to their itineraries via email.
WestJet is encouraging affected travellers to utilize self-serve options prior to calling for assistance; guests seeking support outside of the 72-hour travel window are able to schedule a call-back. The airline’s flexible change and cancel guidelines and schedule change refund policies remain in place.
These new reductions are in addition to WestJet already cutting service by 15 per cent in JAN, also due to staffing shortages, as previously reported by Open Jaw.
WestJet has seen a 35 per cent rise in active COVID-19 cases among staff in late DEC, with 181 employees currently testing positive for virus, said a spokesperson. Prior to the JAN cancellations, WestJet was operating 450 flights per day.
