{"id":835126,"date":"2026-07-30T04:18:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T04:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/835126\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T04:18:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T04:18:18","slug":"westjet-flight-attendants-strike-deadline-looms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/835126\/","title":{"rendered":"WestJet flight attendants\u2019 strike deadline looms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some WestJet flights could start to be grounded as early as Friday unless the airline and its flight attendants reach a new contract ahead of a possible strike this weekend.<\/p>\n

WestJet and the union representing about 4,400 flight attendants have agreed to an operational wind-down plan should a strike or lockout begin as early as Sunday. The agreement outlines how aircrafts would be grounded and how cabin crew would be returned home in the event of a work stoppage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is to try to get as many of our cabin crew members, but also as many of our guests back as possible, prior to a strike deadline in a safe and orderly fashion,\u201d said Cameron Jones, the recording secretary for CUPE Local 8125.<\/p>\n

The union said the agreement is intended to minimize disruption while negotiations continue.<\/p>\n

Flight attendants voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike mandate earlier this month as contract negotiations continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnpaid work remain one of the largest issues,\u201d said Jones.<\/p>\n

\u201cWestJet being the second largest carriers in Canada, our flight attendants are among some of the lowest paid in the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"WestJet potential strike A WestJet logo is seen in the domestic check-in area at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on May 19, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Darryl Dyck <\/p>\n

In a statement to CTV News, WestJet said it remains actively engaged in negotiations and is \u201cfully prepared to make meaningful improvements that work for cabin crew members while balancing the future sustainability of WestJet.\u201d It went on to say, \u201cwe are optimistic we can arrive at an agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n

If a strike goes ahead, about 75,000 passengers a day could be affected.<\/p>\n

WestJet has also offered eligible WestJet Rewards members the option to cancel or reschedule bookings scheduled between July 30 and Aug. 4.<\/p>\n

While the airline is offering some passengers additional flexibility, air passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs said travellers should avoid cancelling their flights prematurely if they can.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait until WestJet cancels,\u201d Lukacs said. \u201cIf they fail to provide alternate transportation, I would just buy myself a ticket on a different airline and make WestJet pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For some travellers however, waiting is not an option.<\/p>\n

\"\"WestJet passenger jets parked at departure gates at the Calgary International Airport on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh WestJet passenger jets parked at departure gates at the Calgary International Airport on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh <\/p>\n

Calgary resident Lily Ahonen said she cancelled her family\u2019s WestJet flights after receiving the airline\u2019s advisory, then booked replacement tickets with another carrier to ensure her daughter can attend a student visa appointment in Vancouver on Aug. 5.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been just uncertainty, a lot of stress,\u201d Ahonen said.<\/p>\n

She said WestJet offered travel credits rather than a cash refund and she ended up paying much more for replacement flights.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve paid double now \u2014 more than double \u2014 because the new flights were more expensive,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Despite the added expense, Ahonen said she supports the flight attendants\u2019 efforts to secure a better contract.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 100 per cent believe they do deserve fair pay for their work,\u201d she said. \u201cI believe the airlines should do the right thing and just avoid this altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"WestJet flight attendants hold a “Day of Action” while union members vote on a possible strike in Calgary, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh WestJet flight attendants hold a “Day of Action” while union members vote on a possible strike in Calgary, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh Related Stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some WestJet flights could start to be grounded as early as Friday unless the airline and its flight…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":835127,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[45,49,48,3717,2882],"class_list":["post-835126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-labour","tag-transport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=835126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/835127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=835126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=835126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=835126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}