Canadians are growing increasingly frustrated with Calgary-based WestJet as the airline has announced that flights will still be disrupted this week despite reaching a deal with its mechanics’ union to end the strike.
Thousands of passengers were left stranded over the Canada Day long weekend after around 680 WestJet mechanics walked off the job on Friday, June 28 when the airlines and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) failed to reach a deal on salary increase and working conditions.
More than 1,000 flights were cancelled between Thursday and July 2 due to the strike, including 432 on Sunday alone, as per the airlines.
The full resumption of operations will take time and further cancellations will be required over the coming days, the airline said in a statement on Monday.
Many passengers are expressing their frustration on social media including one X user who said, “F**k WestJet pay your f**king workers, this is the 2nd time my flight has been cancelled within 16 hours of takeoff with no help from customer service and no way to make it to my destination on time.”
“No one from westjet replies when I tried to contact all possible ways. Strike aside, the way they handled affected passengers is unprofessional. Been 24+ hours, not heard from them, and spent $4k+ to survive and missed work,” added another X user.
Kerrisa Wilson, a Toronto resident, and her partner were among the travelers impacted due to flight cancellations.
Wilson, who is also employed by Now Toronto, was scheduled to return to Toronto with her partner on Sunday, June 30 from Comox, British Columbia, after their holiday, with a connecting flight from Edmonton. However, their plans were disrupted when the flight from Edmonton to Toronto was cancelled on Saturday evening.
“We tried calling WestJet when we found out it was cancelled but were on hold for hours without any response,” she told Now Toronto on Tuesday.
The couple approached WestJet staff at the Comox airport, who advised them against taking their initial flight to Edmonton as they would be stranded there.
They were informed that the airline would need up to 48 hours to find them an alternative flight to their destination, but they still have not received any communication from the airline.
Wilson mentioned that she attempted to contact both the airline and Expedia, where she booked her tickets, on Sunday, but has not had any success.
“We are extremely frustrated and disappointed with WestJet’s lack of communication,” she said.
Frustrated with the situation, the couple decided on Monday morning to book another flight with Flair Airlines to Toronto, costing them nearly $500 more each out of pocket.
“In addition to paying for another flight and other expenses while we’re stranded in BC, we are missing a day of work. We hope they at least provide us a refund for the significant inconvenience,” she continued.
In a statement issued on Sunday, WestJet President and Group Chief Operating Officer Diederik Pen apologized to travellers for inconvenience caused due to the “unnecessary work stoppage.”
“We continue to hold our view that the current strike serves no purpose other than to inflict maximum damage to our airline and the country,” Pen continued.
As of Sunday, WestJet reported that its fleet of 180 planes had been reduced to 32 active aircraft.
“Across our airline, our teams are working around the clock to safely bring the 130 aircraft parked across Canada back to the skies, as efficiently as possible,” Pen added.
WestJet and the AMFA have accused each other of not negotiating in good faith.
“WestJet will cancel hundreds of flights, leave people stranded, and offer them no customer service (as usual these days) and think people will blame it on workers and the union. That’s on you, babes,” one X user said.
The AMFA contends that its proposed wage increase would cost WestJet less than $8 million beyond the company’s initial offer for the first year of their contract.
WestJet has stated it proposed a 12.5 per cent wage increase in the first year and a compounded 23.5 per cent increase over the remaining five and a half years.
In June, union members voted overwhelmingly, with 97.25 per cent rejecting a tentative pay agreement with WestJet.
Meanwhile, WestJet has yet to disclose its plans for refunding or assisting travelers with rescheduling their flights.
“This disruption was and continues to be extremely hard for Canadians travelling with WestJet…We’re monitoring this situation very closely, and we expect WestJet to do their best to rebook passengers who were impacted as soon as possible,” Canada’s Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, said in a statement shared with Now Toronto on Tuesday.
