WestJet strike is over, but the airline now faces many obstacles

In Calgary, barriers are currently being put up along Macleod Avenue, about 15 kilometres northeast, ahead of Friday’s Stampede Parade, and WestJet crews are working hard to remove the many barriers erected by the mechanics’ strike over the weekend.

Getting the airline back on track will require more than just getting planes back in the air. The airline will have to adjust its schedules, deal with angry passengers, compensation problems, staff morale and fraudsters.

Shortly after 1 a.m. Eastern Time on July 1, WestJet sent out a press release confirming that a tentative agreement had been reached with the striking Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) and that union members “will immediately return to work as planned.”

After the strike ended, WestJet began to resume operations as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, fully resuming operations will take time and more cancellations will be necessary in the coming days. Robert J. Kokonis, president and CEO of AirTrav, says it won’t happen overnight, but is optimistic about this week.

“One on one (a hitting day vs. a rest day). So yeah, I’d say see you Wednesday.

“Don’t forget that it’s not just aircraft that have been scattered. It’s also the crews that are flying away with them. So the process is a bit like putting Humpty Dumpty back together, bringing aircraft and crews back together, with some crews having to make empty runs to get to the parked aircraft.”

John Gradek of McGill University is not sure whether this can happen so quickly: “By Friday the schedule will most likely be full. By Wednesday it could already be 60 to 70 percent full.”

But it’s not just the planes that need to get back up and running; WestJet also has to work through the considerable and not unjustified pile of customer complaints and compensation. The impact of the financial damage will affect many players in the travel industry.

What compensation can customers expect? WestJet’s website offers little consolation.

“Under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), a work stoppage within the airline or an essential service provider is considered to be outside the control of the airline. Therefore, any disruption to travel plans due to work stoppages or strikes will not give rise to entitlement to compensation under the APPR.

“Itineraries with destinations outside Canada may also be subject to passenger rights programs other than APPR. Compensation may be due under those programs.”

WestJet passengers have also been targeted by scammers on social media, particularly on “X” (formerly Twitter), where fake WS agents have responded to customers’ complaints, advised them to send them direct messages, and then collected their credit card information to use for fraudulent purposes.

It’s a mess.

So what is WestJet up against? On their website you can find this statement and summary of the final impact of the strike.

“As a result of the active work stoppage that began on June 28 and ended on Sunday, June 30, WestJet has grounded 130 of its 180 aircraft. Although the industrial action has ended, its impact will continue for several days as WestJet works to restore operations in the following areas:

• WestJet aircraft are parked at 13 airports across Canada, eight of which have no crew bases, meaning crew must be transported to the aircraft for pickup.

• Due to the disruption, rescuing stranded crew members is a top priority across our network.

• The operation of parked aircraft has been discontinued as planned and requires standard maintenance and safety checks before being returned to service.

• On average, 1,600 crew members are required to operate WestJet’s operations on a daily basis. As a result of the disruption, many operationally sensitive WestJetters were disrupted, leaving them unable to continue operating on their assigned schedule.

Summary of total cancellations as of July 1, 2024, 10:00 a.m. MT

According to the Toronto Star, the strike has also raised doubts about Canada’s reliability in a two-airline system and raised questions about whether air travel should be covered by essential services protections.

This isn’t WestJet’s first challenge dealing with angry passengers, but it may be the biggest customer service issue they’ve had to resolve to date.

Guests with short-term travel plans are advised to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport. For more information on flight status, travel changes and more, visit WestJet’s Guest Updates page.