Winnipeg travellers frustrated as WestJet cancels hundreds of flights due to strike

Travelers stranded at the Winnipeg airport say they are confused and angry after an unexpected strike threw thousands of WestJet passengers’ plans into chaos over the Canada Day long weekend.

Hundreds of WestJet flights have been grounded across the country after the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, or AMFA, announced a surprise strike Friday.

The Calgary-based airline said earlier Saturday that about 235 flights had been canceled, affecting about 33,000 people. It said another 150 flights were expected to be canceled Saturday afternoon.

The union action disrupted travel plans for people at Winnipeg’s Richardson International Airport this weekend, as more than 10 flights at the airport were canceled as of Saturday afternoon, according to the Winnipeg Airport Authority.

Holly Warners, who landed in Winnipeg shortly before noon, said everything was going well until she was informed of the cancellation after her first stop on a multi-stop journey from Pratt Falls, Ont., to her home in Anchorage, Alaska.

“I guess I’ll have to spend the night in Winnipeg, but no one has told me about a hotel. No one has given me any options for the next flight,” she said.

“There’s people crying, there’s people walking around. Their vacation is ruined. I’m just trying to get home and it’s very, very frustrating.”

“Nobody knows anything”

Silvia Pinto and Jean Paul Aragon said they arrived at the Winnipeg airport from Calgary at 10 p.m. Friday, only to be informed two hours later that they were flying to Cancun – to celebrate Aragon’s birthday – had been canceled.

Pinto said Saturday she spent hours on the phone trying to find a solution.

“I think all the lines are cut,” she said. “We’ve been on the phone for about 1 p.m. and no one answers. »

Pinto said WestJet sent him a message saying the cost of the flight would be refunded, but it could take 30 days. She was forced to rebook a new flight.

“My five days of vacation became two days of vacation, because now I have two days, 48 ​​hours ahead of me to travel,” she said.

“I’m going to cry, I’m sorry. It’s crazy, nobody has an answer,” she said. “They don’t answer the phone and I write… Nobody knows anything.”

The union action comes after the federal government ordered the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose binding arbitration between WestJet and the union, after discussions on a new collective agreement reached an impasse.

The mechanics union said Friday that while about 680 workers were continuing their strike, it remained engaged in dialogue with the Canada Industrial Relations Board to resolve the contract impasse.

AMFA’s legal counsel said that even with the binding arbitration decision, the union still has “a constitutional right” to call a strike.

According to the union’s statement released Friday, “the airline’s reluctance to negotiate with the union caused the strike.”

WestJet, for its part, said it was “outraged” by this decision.

With a binding arbitration order in place, “the only reason this union is continuing its strike is to create havoc, disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Canadians over the July long weekend and inflict significant costs on our business,” company president Diederik Pen said in a statement.

WestJet is asking people to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.

But as she tries to return home to Alaska, Warners said the message isn’t helping much.

“I would like WestJet to know that this has a huge impact on people,” Warners said. “I understand there’s a strike, (but) I guess… the lack of empathy and the lack of help is really frustrating.”