WestJet flight attendants go on strike after talks fall through, grounding flights (updated)

Onex

02/08/2026 07:59

    * WestJet has canceled 615 flights through Tuesday
    * Union seeks pay for members from check-in until clock-out
    * WestJet says it will refund or reaccommodate affected
passengers

 (Rewrites paragraph 1, adds updated flight cancellation numbers
in paragraphs 2-3 and details of WestJet's offer in paragraphs
9-11)
    By Amanda Stephenson, Sumedha Mukherjee and Shubham Kalia
    CALGARY, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Flight attendants at Canada's
WestJet went on strike on Sunday after talks fell through with
the country's second-largest carrier, grounding flights during
the busy summer season and adding to challenges by cabin crews
across North America to the industry's pay structure.
Approximately 250,000 travellers, according to the airline, have
had their flights cancelled on a three-day holiday weekend in
Canada, and more passengers will be affected depending on how
long the work stoppage lasts.
The carrier, which has a domestic market share of 30% and flies
to destinations in the U.S., the Caribbean, Central America and
Europe, had cancelled 615 flights as of mid-morning Sunday,
according to aviation analytics company Cirium. WestJet is
majority-owned by Onex Corp  ONEX.TO .
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 4,400
flight attendants at the carrier, is seeking pay for its members
from the time they check in until they clock out, instead of
mostly just for time when their aircraft is in motion.
 Flight attendants staged a four-day work stoppage last August
at larger rival Air Canada  AC.TO  in a similar challenge to
airlines' compensation structure.
The union had given 72 hours' notice on Thursday to WestJet,
signaling that a strike could occur if talks failed to produce
an agreement. WestJet subsequently issued a lockout notice.
    Both sides said they tried until the last minute to reach a
deal but were unsuccessful.
 "We are on strike because we believe we deserve better. We are
ready to go back to the table to settle," said Alia Hussain,
president of the union's WestJet component.
    On Sunday, WestJet released details of the deal it said it
had offered the union in an effort to avert a strike, including
a 13% wage increase this year followed by 2.5% wage increases
each year through 2029.
WestJet also said it offered additional pay for all hours
worked, equivalent to another 12% salary increase. The company
said the premium was offered to address the union's complaints
regarding unpaid work.
A union representative did not immediately respond to a Reuters
request for comment on the airline's proposal. 
WestJet said on Sunday it would refund or reaccommodate affected
passengers, although some travelers posting on social media
reported difficulties reaching the airline's customer service
department and confusion about what to do next.
Patty Hajdu, Canada's jobs minister, said the latest
developments in the dispute at the carrier were disappointing.
"A strike or lockout does not mean an agreement can't be
reached; the expectation is that parties can and should come to
an agreement at the bargaining table," she said.
The Canadian government intervened to stop the Air Canada strike
last year, but flight attendants eventually defied that effort.
The union's WestJet division said it hoped the Canadian
government would not interfere in the bargaining process.

 (Reporting by Amanda Stephenson in Calgary, Sumedha Mukherjee
and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru and Allison Lampert in Montreal;
Additional reporting by M Angela Christy; Editing by Joe Bavier,
William Mallard, Kate Mayberry, Christina Fincher and Edmund
Klamann)
 ((amanda.stephenson@thomsonreuters.com))