WestJet has cancelled 25 flights for 27/28JUN. affecting 3,300 pax.
Facing a potentially "catastrophic" strike on the eve of the Canada Day weekend, WestJet announced the flights were cancelled “as the airline reacts to its Aircraft Maintenance Engineers and other technical operations employees plan to go on strike as of Friday, June 28 at 5:30 p.m. MT.”
WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said on 26JUN that the initial number of cancellations would likely be "a double-digit number, that will grow as we approach the strike deadline Friday."
He added the airline would be able to maintain a number of flights in the event of a strike, serving international and continental routes. The most likely impacted routes would be domestic and Caribbean routes, and others within the North American corridor.
”The impact of a strike notice served with the intent of disrupting travel over Canada Day long weekend has the potential to be catastrophic, for our people, our guests and the communities and regions we serve," WestJet said in a statement on its website.
The airline said it’s making every effort to reaccommodate all impacted guests.
Ian Lee, associate professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, told CTV News a Canada Day weekend strike would have a “massive” impact on Canadian travellers. It would also be a holiday headache for travel advisors.
“It’s going to be very disruptive,” Lee said.
WestJet said a strike “could disrupt the travel plans of more than 250,000 guests scheduled to travel over the July long weekend, and appears to be an attempt to force an unreasonable contract.”
“As we quickly approach the July long weekend, it is especially devastating that the strike notice we have received from AMFA forces us to begin cancelling flights and parking aircraft, for the second time in just over a week,” said Diederik Pen, President of WestJet Airlines and Group Chief Operating Officer.
WestJet last week cancelled some 40 flights, affecting roughly 6,500 pax, when the airline mechanics union had a strike deadline set for 20JUN. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) rescinded the strike notice after both sides agreed to return to the bargaining table.
Talks began again this week, but ended quickly. The mechanics union on 26JUN set another strike notice for the evening of 28JUN.
Von Hoensbroech said the airline is offering an industry-leading, 22% wage increase over four years. He also said the union is making unreasonable demands.
"All other unions would immediately shake hands over a deal like this," von Hoensbroech said.
The union said its members have been locked out by WestJet, but that bargaining would pick up again on 27JUN in Toronto.
In a release posted on their website, the mechanics union said WestJet is suing AMFA and asking the government (it didn’t say which level of government) to quash the mechanic’s strike notice on an “urgent” basis and without a hearing.
The union said WestJet is accusing AMFA of submitting position statements to the Canada Industrial Relations Board that are “inflammatory” and “offensive.”
“However, in its own submission of today, WestJet alleges that an AME strike would place the “company and the traveling public in peril at a critical time.”
“It is difficult to conceive of a more inflammatory or offensive comment,” AMFA said. “The only action that would imperil the traveling public would be a decision, by WestJet, to allow unairworthy aircraft to carry our passengers.”
“This is a U.S. union that has only been active in the U.S.,” von Hoensbroech said at a press event at YYC on 26JUN. “They lost the majority of their membership in the U.S. because of their unreasonable behaviour. So, now they’re trying to push into Canada and get access to Canadian airlines. They’re now taking Canadian hostages to make their marketing platform to become a union in Canada. I’m not sure we want that.”
