Brace yourselves, Canada: a WestJet pilots strike or lockout could begin Friday. WestJet pilots have issued a 72-hour strike notice to the company and the government, and their union is warning that the airline could be shut down just before the busy May long weekend. Meanwhile, Flair Airlines says it’s adding flights in Western Canada to help passengers who might be stranded by a WestJet pilots’ strike or company lockout. The Air Line Pilots Association said in a news release late Monday that WestJet pilots plan to begin lawful job action early Friday morning, which the release said “could include Read more
WestJet pilots
A messy WestJet pilots’ strike is still possible for this week, but negotiations appear to be continuing between pilots and the airline. The pilots union issued an update Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time to say talks were set to to continue. “As of Sunday at 5pm ET, no 72 hour notice for strike or lock-out has been submitted,” according to @WestJetALPA, the official Twitter account for the WestJet Master Executive Council (MEC), Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA). Global News reports that pilots representing both WestJet and its discount brand Swoop voted in favour of a strike mandate in Read more
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the airport… Canadians managed to get through a winter marred by travel snafus, including winter storms, overcrowded airports and cancelled flights. But now comes a potential spring double whammy. Some 155,000 federal works are on strike today (April 20). Talks are back on between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Trudeau government, but for now Canada Revenue Agency workers are not at their desks, and Canadian passport offices are closed. The CBC reports that passport applications and renewals “are on hold and limited to those in humanitarian Read more
The union representing WestJet pilots says they have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate. A representative of the Air Line Pilots Association told the CBC that 95% of pilots took part in the strike mandate voting, and that 93% were in favour of giving the union the ability to call a strike. Yahoo finance said pilots could strike or be locked out if notice is given on May 13. A job action that close to the long May weekend would obviously be extremely disruptive for Canadian travellers. WestJet officials pointed out that a strike authorization vote is a Read more
Inflation is running rampant these days, and airlines aren’t immune. A top expert from Hopper says the news could get worse soon for Canadian consumers. “Canadian domestic airfare in February is averaging $285 per ticket, in line with 2022 prices,” Hopper Economist Hayley Berg told the website MTL Blog. But she says international flight prices from Canada are up 24% compared to 2022, currently averaging $873 per ticket. WESTJET PILOTS STRIKE POSSIBILITY The union representing pilots at WestJet is asking for federal conciliation after both sides have come to an impasse during contract talks. Canadian Press reports that the WestJet Read more
