WestJet resumes flights as flight attendant strike ends
Story updated following tentative agreement between WestJet and its flight attendants' union.
WestJet flights are beginning to resume after the airline reached a deal with striking flight attendants.
"We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that reflects the hard work and professionalism of our cabin crew," Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of WestJet, said in a statement Monday. "Our teams are working hard to restore service and get our guests on their way to their destinations as quickly as possible and we appreciate everyone's patience as we get back to normal."
He did not say how soon the airline — which is the second-largest in Canada — will return to its full schedule after shutting down overnight from Saturday to Sunday.
WestJet cancellations totaled 302 flights, or 60% of its schedule, at 11:30 a.m. EDT Monday, data from flight tracking website FlightAware shows. The airline canceled its full schedule (496 flights) on Sunday.
Flights flown by WestJet's regional affiliate, WestJet Encore, continue to operate. Encore flies 35 de Havilland Canada Dash 8-Q400s from bases at Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
All customers affected by the shutdown will be refunded or reaccommodated, WestJet said.
Air Canada and Porter Airlines said Sunday they were working to assist affected WestJet customers however possible. Accommodations included dedicated airport check-in desks for WestJet customers and additional flights.
In the U.S., WestJet serves 27 destinations, schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) are its largest American gateways by departures.
WestJet is a close partner of Delta Air Lines.
Why flight attendants went on strike
Neither the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents flight attendants at WestJet, nor the airline provided in-depth details of the tentative agreement reached Monday. The deal will next go to crew members for a ratification vote.
The tentative agreement "evolves the flight credit system by recognizing more of the work cabin crew are required to perform and with general increases to compensation for that work," Alia Hussain, president of the CUPE chapter that includes the airline's cabin crew, said in a statement.
The main disagreement between CUPE and WestJet was regarding pay. The union was demanding that crew members be paid for all time worked, including time on the ground with the door open.
Few flight attendants are paid for time on the ground when the door is open, including the time spent at the airport, boarding and deplaning. Air Canada began paying its cabin crew members for boarding time in 2025 after a three-day strike, and in 2022, Delta began paying its flight attendants half their hourly rate for boarding.
WestJet said on Sunday that it offered flight attendants wage increases of more than 20% through 2029 — a "pay premium" for all duty hours, including those during boarding and at the airport, equivalent to 12% of total annual pay; the carrier said it also provded additional quality of life improvements.
Related reading: