With a potential WestJet pilots’ strike or company lockout less than 48 hours away, WestJet’s CEO says a “massive” gap remains between the union and airline negotiators.
Negotiations are continuing around the clock between WestJet and the Air Line Pilots Association as the clock ticks down toward a strike deadline of 3 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, May 19.
CTV News reports the standoff “leaves thousands of passengers with travel plans for the May long weekend and beyond hanging in limbo — and has already affected bookings.”
“The gap is still massive,” CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said of the negotiations, which are taking place at a hotel in Richmond Hill, Ont.
With customers worried about a potential shutdown, von Hoensbroech said bookings have been “softening.”
The Calgary Herald quotes a senior union member as saying that nothing WestJet has presented “would come even remotely close” to being ratified by pilots.
In a story published in the Toronto Star, Vancouver resident Debby Raffard said she’s been anxiously checking social media for updates about her May 22 flight to Hawaii, which she booked with WestJet in November.
“I am beyond upset,” she said.
AIR CANADA ANNOUNCES FLYDUBAI PARTNERSHIP
Air Canada and flydubai today announced a new partnership to give customers flying between Canada, the Middle East, East Africa, Indian Subcontinent and Southern Asia more convenient travel options.
Pending final regulatory approval, Air Canada’s marketing code will be placed on nine routes operated from Dubai by flydubai, giving customers the ability to travel to these markets with the issuance of a single ticket. The routes include the Middle Eastern cities of Medina, Dammam, Bahrain, Jeddah, and Muscat, as well as flights to Colombo, Sri Lanka and Karachi, Pakistan.
Additionally, through an interline arrangement, customers will be able to seamlessly connect in Dubai to more than 60 destinations that flydubai flies to in the Middle East, East Africa and Southern Asia – including Kathmandu, Djibouti and the Maldives. Of these destinations, more than 30 are unique to flydubai and not flown by other partners of Air Canada.
“Air Canada is very pleased to partner with flydubai, further expanding our connectivity to the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, a growing source of immigration and travel to Canada. This new partnership is a perfect complement to Air Canada’s non-stop service to Dubai from Toronto and Vancouver, and growing our relationship with Emirates, flydubai’s codeshare partner. Together we look forward to bringing together our networks and building a better experience for our customers,” said Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President, Revenue and Network Planning at Air Canada.
