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Sydney Handel who was headed to a wedding in Anchorage, Alaska, stranded at the Winnipeg International Airport as WestJet flight attendant strike kicked off on Aug. 2, 2026 (Koby Mitchell, CityNews)<\/p>\nAbout 4,400 WestJet flight attendants across Canada walked off their jobs Sunday leading to hundreds of flight cancellations after the union and the airline failed to reach an agreement.<\/p>\n
Even as the airline workers picketed at the Richardson Airport in Winnipeg, stranded passengers inside the airport were scrambling to get to their destinations.<\/p>\n
Among them is Sydney Handel, who was travelling to Anchorage, Alaska for a wedding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very frustrating, it\u2019s unfortunate,\u201d Handel said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to a wedding, we have a lot of people we\u2019re excited to see, a big event we\u2019re excited to celebrate, so we\u2019re definitely not thrilled.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney Handel who was headed to a wedding in Anchorage, Alaska, stranded at the Winnipeg International Airport as WestJet flight attendant strike kicked off on Aug. 2, 2026 (Koby Mitchell, CityNews)<\/p>\n
Some travellers told CityNews that they are having to deal with several last-minute itinerary changes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have re-routed us like 10 times,\u201d said Harmeet Dang, who with her partner are returning to Windsor, Ontario after a trip to Banff.<\/p>\n
\u201cFeels like we\u2019re a volleyball being sprung here and there between cities.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Harmeet Dang and her partner at the Winnipeg airport as WestJet flight attendant strike kicked off on Aug. 2, 2026. The Ontario couple have been re-routed several times after their direct flight home to Windsor, Ont., from Calgary was cancelled.(Koby Mitchell, CityNews)<\/p>\n
Their original flight home was supposed to be direct, but after two cancellations, their itinerary is now Calgary, to Winnipeg, to Saskatoon, back to Calgary, and then finishing in Toronto as their final stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere we are in Winnipeg not knowing where to go, not knowing where to keep our luggage, don\u2019t even feel like exploring,\u201d Dang said. \u201cWe\u2019re like we just need to get home. We\u2019re done, we\u2019re tired we\u2019re exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mohammad Saleem has travelled to Winnipeg from Houston, Texas with 16 people for a family wedding. \u00a0Their flights have been cancelled, and he\u2019s frustrated with how hard it\u2019s been to reach WestJet, prompting him to come to the airport.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe line is jammed, totally jammed there\u2019s no way you can call in,\u201d Saleem said. \u201cI\u2019ve been calling all night.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Mohammad Saleem came to Winnipeg airport to speak to WestJet about his flight cancellation after he was unable to reach the airline by phone amid strike by flight attendants, on Aug. 2, 2026 (Koby Mitchell, CityNews)<\/p>\n
Though many travellers voiced their disappointment with the situation, some like Handel said they sympathizes with the striking flight attendants.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean human-to-human, I get it,\u201d Handel said. \u201cIf you\u2019re not being paid what you think you\u2019re worthy of being paid, I understand. Selfishly, I want to go on our trip that we\u2019ve been planning for almost a year. But I can\u2019t blame them.\u201d<\/p>\n
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WestJet flight attendants picket at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport as strike begins on Aug. 2, 2026 (Cliff Simpson, CityNews)<\/p>\n
Gina McKay, president, CUPE Manitoba, called on the public to support the flight attendants.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now they have unpaid work, and so we\u2019re here to bring our solidarity to march and bring our voices so that we can say we need an end to unpaid work,\u201d McKay said.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tWestJet workers picket at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport as strike begins on Aug. 2, 2026 (Cliff Simpson, CityNews) <\/p>\n
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