Flight attendants at WestJet, Canada's second-largest airline, went on strike Sunday in a dispute over pay. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, representing 4,400 cabin crew members, announced the strike on its Facebook page but provided no further details. The company had canceled more than 300 flights as of early Sunday, disrupting travel plans in Canada during a three-day weekend.
WestJet confirmed the strike and said its focus remains on being available for the union to reach an agreement. A key issue was how flight attendants should be paid for duties performed while still on the ground. The union said some of that work is unpaid, while the company said its staff was compensated through a "credit hour" system rather than an hourly rate.
"We presented a proposal that would have set a new standard for cabin crew in Canada, making WestJet the only airline to offer an hourly rate covering all time before and after flights, plus a double-digit wage increase in year one among other priorities the union raised," said Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of WestJet Group. "Unfortunately, it wasn't accepted."
The airline said it could not operate any scheduled flights on Boeing 737s or 787s, and travelers will be refunded or reaccommodated. WestJet said it would contact those who booked directly via email, while those who booked through a travel agent or third-party platform should reach out to them.
WestJet Encore flights on Q400 aircraft, as well as code-share flights operated by partner airlines, remain unaffected.
Last summer, flight attendants at Air Canada, the country's largest carrier, stranded more than 100,000 travelers during peak season with a strike partly over the same issue of groundwork. That work stoppage lasted three days before an agreement was reached.
Associated Press writer Jim Morris in Vancouver, British Columbia contributed to this report.