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WestJet announced today that it will cancel 150 flights due to the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association’s (AMFA) decision to strike after negotiations over pay and conditions did not bring about a new agreement. Additional cancellations are expected if the union does not call off the strike or intervention does not happen immediately.
WestJet had more than 250,000 passengers scheduled to fly across the long weekend (Canada Day is Monday) and more than 20,000 of them will be impacted by the strike. The Canada Industrial Relations Board recently ordered WestJet and AMFA into binding arbitration after they reached an impasse. This has been ignored by the union in starting its strike.
Diederik Pen, President of WestJet Airlines and Group Chief Operating Officer, said:
A strike serves no one, as this negotiation has already been referred to binding arbitration. We know how painful this is for our guests and our people; however, we must start the immediate and safe parking or our aircraft. The scale of this deliberate disruption is devastating and AMFA must be held accountable for their reckless actions. Without immediate intervention, significant disruption will unnecessarily harm tens of thousands of Canadians along with the entire economic ecosystem that depends on our critical air service.”
WestJet cancelled 25 flights on Thursday and Friday, plus an additional 150 today. Passengers flying WestJet are advised to check their travel arrangements before heading to the airport.
Anthony’s Take: Airline strikes are tossed around frequently as a negotiation tactic, but they rarely happen with the impact that this one is having on WestJet’s operations. Hopefully, WestJet and the union will be able to come to a compromise as the busy summer season is heating up.
(Image Credits: WestJet.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
