‘Meltdown’: A week later, WestJet continues to feel the fallout from mechanics strike

Article Content

WestJet is still feeling the effects of a mechanics’ strike that shut down the airline’s network for nearly 29 hours a week after it ended.

The two-day shutdown that began June 28 forced the airline to cancel more than 1,000 flights ahead of the Canada Day long weekend, one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

The fallout continued into last week, with WestJet canceling 100 flights on Friday and Saturday, and at least 31 more on Sunday, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. The airline’s own figures suggest at least 170,000 passengers were affected.

Article Content

The task of fully resuming flights with a fleet of nearly 180 grounded aircraft across more than 175 destinations is complex, costly and time-consuming. In an email, WestJet said it was working to restore operations immediately.

“We sincerely apologize to all guests affected by the strike,” said company spokeswoman Madison Krueger. “Our teams across WestJet are working diligently to support all affected guests as quickly as possible.”

However, travelers expressed their frustration through a barrage of messages and social media posts, saying the company’s customer service remained virtually unreachable for several days.

Several customers also reported issues with rebooking. If an airline can’t take new reservations within 48 hours, Canada’s Passenger Bill of Rights requires it to book passengers on the “next available flight” from any airline, including competitors, if it refuses a refund — an option customers say WestJet has failed to give them.

Agent Samuel Spencer found himself stranded in San Francisco during a layover last week after his flight was cancelled mid-flight to his home in Calgary.

Article Content

Article Content

“Despite having seats available on an alternate WestJet flight (within 48 hours) and even on the same Premium Cabin seat I was ticketed for on my now-cancelled flight out of SFO, WestJet’s automated email just said they had no rebooking options for me and encouraged me to get a refund,” he said.

He said there was no one at WestJet’s ticket offices, and service agents could not be reached by phone. On the two occasions he was able to get into the queue, he was on the phone for more than four hours before deciding to hang up.

“It was a huge collapse,” he said.

After eventually rebooking on a Delta flight more than two days later, Spencer said he now has about $2,700 more to cover hotel, meals and transportation costs.

“Not only is this a technological failure, that so many people are unable to rebook their trips themselves – completely unnecessarily – it’s also a complete failure of contingency planning,” said Spencer, owner of Ocean & River Cruises Travel.

He also called on the federal government and the Canadian Transport Agency to hold the transport company accountable.

WestJet said it was offering guests a refund if they were unable to rebook within two days of their scheduled departure.

Article Content

The ripple effects of last weekend’s strike have prompted the airline to pull its stake in Friday’s Calgary Stampede, a local event the company has sponsored for decades. WestJet spokeswoman Morgan Bell said the move was “all about people,” given the recent pressure on staff.

At 5:30 p.m. Rocky Mountain time on June 28, about 680 mechanics walked off the job despite Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan’s directive for binding arbitration. The country’s labour body ruled that the Fraternal Association of Aircraft Machinists was within its rights to strike, surprising WestJet and Ottawa and forcing the Calgary-based company back to the negotiating table with the union.

The two sides reached an agreement — the impasse centered mainly on wages and compensation — on the night of June 30, but not before tens of thousands of Canadians found their long-weekend travel plans upended.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2024.

Article Content