WestJet starts parking Boeing 737 jets ahead of looming labor strike (updated)

Onex

31/07/2026 20:18

 (Adds Union statement in paragraph 6)
    July 31 (Reuters) - Canada's WestJet said on Friday it has
begun parking Boeing  BA.N  737 planes as negotiations with
flight attendants have not resulted in an agreement, which could
lead to labor disruptions.
    Cabin crew at the Calgary-based carrier, owned by Onex Corp
 ONEX.TO , could strike as early as August 2 at 12:01 a.m.
Mountain Time (0601 GMT), if talks fail to produce an agreement
over a dispute on unpaid work, the Canadian Union of Public
Employees, which represents WestJet flight attendants, had said
on Thursday.
    The union is asking for cabin crew to be paid from the time
they check in to when they clock out, which is not the case
currently.
    "We remain active at the bargaining table to achieve a
mutually agreeable deal at the earliest possible time," WestJet
said in a statement on Friday, adding that parking the aircraft
allows it to maintain operational control.
    WestJet Encore flights  operated  on Bombardier's Q400 and
codeshare flights operated by partners remain unaffected, it
said.
    "We have made some progress, and the issues remaining need
to be resolved at the table. We are hopeful that we can still
avoid a strike," said Alia Hussain, president of the WestJet
Component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

 (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City, additional reporting by
Anhata Rooprai in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
 ((mailto:Juby.Babu@thomsonreuters.com;))