In Calgary, as barricades are being delivered to Macleod Trail in anticipation of Friday’s Stampede Parade, about 15 km northeast, WestJet teams are hard at work bringing down the many barriers erected by the weekend mechanics strike.
Levelling the airline to a smooth flying altitude involves more than putting planes back in the air. The airline faces rebuilding its schedules, disgruntled passengers, compensation issues, staff morale and scammers.
Shortly after 1 a.m. Eastern Time on 01JUL, WestJet sent a release confirming it had reached a tentative deal with the striking Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) and that union members “will return to work as scheduled to immediately.”
With the strike over, WestJet began ramping up its operations as quickly and efficiently as possible; however, the full resumption of operations will take time, and further cancellations will be required over the coming days. Robert J. Kokonis, president and managing director of AirTrav, says it will not happen overnight but is optimistic for this week.
“One to one (one strike day vs recovery day). So yes, I’d say by Wednesday.
“Don’t forget, it is not just airplanes that got scattered around. It is the crews that go with them. So the process is a bit like putting Humpty Dumpty back together again, bringing airplanes and crews back together again, with some crews having to deadhead to get to where the airplanes are parked.”
John Gradek of McGill University isn’t sure it can happen that quickly, saying, “Most likely full schedule by Friday. Wednesday could be at 60-70%”.
But it’s not just the planes that have to get moving; WestJet must start lassoing the significant and not unwarranted stack of customer complaints and compensation. The ripple effect of their monetary hit will affect many players in the travel industry.
What can customers expect in the form of compensation? WestJet’s website does not provide much comfort.
"Under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), a labour disruption within the carrier or within an essential service provider is considered outside of air carrier control. As a result, any disruption in travel plans due to work stoppage or strike are not eligible for compensation under APPR.
"Itineraries involving destinations outside Canada may also be subject to passenger rights programs other than APPR, compensation may be applicable thereunder."
WestJet pax have also been targeted by scammers on social media, most notably on “X” (formerly Twitter), with fake WS agents responding to complaining customers advising them to direct message with them, and then proceeding to gather their credit card information, to be used for fraudulent reasons.
It’s a mess.
So, what is WestJet dealing with? Their website issued this explanation and summary of the strike's final impact.
“As a result of the active labour disruption that began on June 28 and concluded on Sunday, June 30, WestJet parked 130 of its 180 aircraft. While labour action has concluded, its impact will continue for additional days, as WestJet works to recover in the following areas:
- WestJet aircraft are parked at 13 airports across Canada, eight of which do not have crew bases, meaning crew need to be transported to the aircraft for retrieval.
- As a result of the disruption, work to recover stranded crew across our network will be an immediate priority.
- Aircraft that were parked ceased operating on schedule and will require standard maintenance and safety checks before returning to service.
- On average,1,600 crew members are required to execute WestJet’s operation each day. As a result of the disruption, many operationally sensitive WestJetters were disrupted, taking them out of position to continue operating their assigned schedule.
Total cancellation summary as of July 1, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. MT
| Scheduled date of departure | Total cancellations |
| Thursday, June 27, 2024 | 18 |
| Friday, June 28, 2024 | 25 |
| Saturday, June 29, 2024 | 284 |
| Sunday, June 30, 2024 | 432 |
| Monday, July 1 | 292 |
| Tuesday, July 2 | 27 |
| Total flights cancelled: | 1,078 |
According to the Toronto Star, the strike has also raised concerns about Canada's reliability on a two-airline system, and whether air travel should fall under essential services protection.
This is not WestJet’s first rodeo when it comes to dealing with disgruntled passengers, but it may be the biggest customer service issue they’ve had to tie up and wrestle to the ground.
Guests with imminent travel plans are advised to check the status of their flight prior to leaving for the airport. Please visit WestJet’s Guest Updates page for more information regarding flight status, travel changes and more.
