Passengers are left in the dark as WestJet flights continue to be cancelled days after strike ends

Two days have passed since WestJet mechanics ended their strike, but passengers are still dealing with flight cancellations and frustration.

“We started to wonder, ‘Are these rebookings even real?'” Laura Stewart told CBC News on Tuesday after WestJet rebooked and then canceled several of her flights over the long weekend.

“We were really in the dark.”

WestJet was forced to ground 72 percent of its fleet after mechanics announced a surprise strike on Saturday, causing a series of flight cancellations affecting at least 100,000 passengers. The strike ended on Sunday, but the Calgary-based airline warned on Monday that disruptions will continue for several more days.

WestJet said that as of 11 a.m. ET on Monday, a total of 1,078 flights had been cancelled across Canada, including 292 on Monday and 27 on Tuesday.

But according to calculations by CBC News using WestJet’s flight status tool, at least 63 flights scheduled to depart Canadian airports on Tuesday had been canceled by Tuesday morning.

And according to flight tracking website flightaware.com, as of Tuesday, 71 WestJet flights worldwide were canceled and 90 were delayed.

CBC News has contacted WestJet for a full service update and will update the article once the company responds.

“We are working to resume operations as efficiently as possible and sincerely apologize to our guests who were impacted over the July long weekend,” the airline said on Tuesday morning.

Stewart, 55, had been travelling from Australia to Hawaii with her husband and was preparing to depart Honolulu airport on Friday when she heard media reports about the WestJet strike. When they tried to change planes in Vancouver on Saturday morning, their return flight to Regina was cancelled.

WestJet rebooked them on another flight, which was later also canceled, Stewart said, so they paid for a hotel in Vancouver out of pocket. After another cancellation the next morning, they finally flew to Edmonton with the promise of a connecting flight to Regina. But that flight was also canceled, so they had to pay for a hotel stay again, this time in Edmonton.

After another delay, they finally arrived back in Regina on Monday. Stewart says that after the rigors of the trip, they only have two $15 meal vouchers to show for it.

“We were very fortunate that we were in a position where we could manage the additional costs and the delay.”

Which flights are cancelled on Tuesday?

Meanwhile, other WestJet customers have said on social media that they are still stranded.

“We are stuck in Orlando with no contact with @WestJet. We can’t get out until Saturday at the earliest. This is crazy!” Alexandra Sell wrote on Tuesday on X, where “WestJet” was trending.

“I’m stuck in LA. What are my options to fly back to Calgary? If anyone sees this, can they please advise me. I’m stuck on hold with WestJet, they haven’t offered a return flight,” another user named “Crypto Plate” wrote Tuesday afternoon.

Using WestJet’s flight status tool, CBC News counted at least 63 canceled flights scheduled to depart Canadian airports that day on Tuesday morning. Calgary had the most cancellations, with 18 flights, followed by 10 canceled flights from Toronto and six from Vancouver.

Also in BC there was:

• Three flights from Victoria cancelled.
• Four from Abbotsford.
• One from Comox.
• One from Nanaimo.
• One in Prince George.
• Two from Kelowna.

In the Prairies, in addition to the 18 cancellations from Calgary, there were:

• Five flights from Edmonton cancelled.
• A flight from Fort McMurray, Alta., cancelled.
• A cancelled flight from Grand Prairie, Alta.
• Three flights from Regina were cancelled.
• One from Saskatoon was cancelled.
• Three flights from Winnipeg cancelled.

In Ontario and further east, there were also cancellations in:

• One in Hamilton, Ontario (the only flight is on Tuesday).
• One in London, Ontario.
• Two in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
• One in Quebec City (the only flight on Tuesday).
• Two flights from Halifax cancelled.
• A flight departing Moncton, NB, was cancelled

WATCH | Travel disruptions continue:

Even after the end of the WestJet strike, travel disruptions continue

A strike by WestJet mechanics has ended and employees are back to work, but travelers are still desperately searching for alternatives as the airline works to return operations to normal.

If your flight is delayed or canceled, you will be notified via email if WestJet has your email address on file, according to WestJet’s guest updates page.

You can also check your flight status on the airline’s website by flight number or airport.

What options do you have?

WestJet says that if your flight is delayed or cancelled, “every effort will be made to get you to your final destination, including rebooking guests on alternative airlines where available.”

In a statement posted on its website on Friday, WestJet said that “limited rebooking options are available,” suggesting that some people may find it difficult to make alternative plans to get to their destination.

If you run into problems with WestJet’s “rebooking options,” you can rebook your flights yourself and claim compensation after the fact, Gabor Lukacs, president of the independent, nonprofit advocacy group Air Passenger Rights, told CBC News on Saturday.

On Tuesday morning, the company wrote: “If your booking cannot be managed online, our contact center is available 24 hours a day at 1-888-937-8538.”

But those who have vented their frustration online say the system is far from ideal.

“Four and a half hours on hold with WestJet and then the connection is cut. WTH?” Stan Won wrote on X.

“Hey @WestJet how about you show some customer service or courtesy and actually contact me when you make a flight disappear from my app because it was cancelled due to your strike. What a joke airline,” Bruce Edwards wrote on Tuesday.

WATCH | Stuck at Vancouver airport:

Confused travellers remain at Vancouver Airport after WestJet cancellations

Even after a strike by WestJet mechanics was called off Sunday night, CBC News spoke to a number of frustrated travellers at YVR International Airport on Monday afternoon.