‘We are extremely frustrated’, Canadians stranded by WestJet flight cancellations are furious as airline says it expects more disruptions this week

Canadians are growing frustrated with Calgary-based WestJet as the airline announced flights would continue to be disrupted this week despite reaching an agreement with its mechanics’ union to end the strike.

Thousands of passengers were stranded over the Canada Day long weekend after approximately 680 WestJet mechanics walked off the job on Friday, June 28, when the airlines and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) failed to reach an agreement on wage increases and working conditions.

More than 1,000 flights were cancelled between Thursday and July 2 due to the strike, including 432 on Sunday alone, according to airlines.

Full resumption of operations will take time and further cancellations will be necessary in the coming days, the airline said in a statement Monday.

Many passengers are expressing their frustration on social media, including one X user who said: “Fuck WestJet pay your fucking workers, this is the second time my flight has been cancelled within 16 hours of taking off with no help from customer service and no way to get to my destination on time.”

“No one from Westjet is responding when I have tried to contact them through any means possible. Aside from the strike, the way they have treated the affected passengers is unprofessional. It has been over 24 hours since I heard from them and I have spent over $4,000 to survive and missed work,” added another X user.

Toronto resident Kerrisa Wilson and her partner are among those affected by the flight cancellations.

Wilson, who also works for Now Toronto, was scheduled to return to Toronto with his partner on Sunday, June 30 from Comox, B.C., after their vacation, with a connecting flight from Edmonton. However, their plans were disrupted when the flight from Edmonton to Toronto was cancelled Saturday night.

“We tried calling WestJet when we found out the flight was cancelled, but we were on hold for hours with no response,” she told Now Toronto on Tuesday.

The couple spoke to WestJet staff at the Comox airport, who advised them not to take their original flight to Edmonton because they would be stuck there.

They were informed that the airline would need 48 hours to find them an alternative flight to their destination, but they have yet to receive any communication from the airline.

Wilson said she tried to contact the airline and Expedia, where she booked her tickets, on Sunday but was unsuccessful.

“We are extremely frustrated and disappointed with the lack of communication from WestJet,” she said.

Frustrated with the situation, the couple decided Monday morning to book another flight with Flair Airlines to Toronto, which cost them nearly $500 more each out of pocket.

“In addition to paying for another flight and other expenses while we are stuck in BC, we are missing a day of work. We hope they will at least reimburse us for the considerable inconvenience caused,” she continued.

In a statement released Sunday, WestJet Group President and Chief Operating Officer Diederik Pen apologized to travellers for the inconvenience caused by the “unnecessary work stoppage.”

“We continue to believe that the current strike has no other purpose than to inflict maximum damage on our airline and the country,” Pen continued.

On Sunday, WestJet announced that its fleet of 180 aircraft had been reduced to 32 active aircraft.

“Across our airline, our teams are working around the clock to safely get all 130 aircraft parked across Canada back in the skies as efficiently as possible,” Pen added.

WestJet and AMFA accuse each other of not negotiating in good faith.

“WestJet is going to cancel hundreds of flights, leave people stranded and provide them with no customer service (as usual these days) and think people will blame the workers and the union. It’s your fault girls,” one X user said.

AMFA argues that the proposed wage increase would cost WestJet less than $8 million more than the company’s initial offer for the first year of its contract.

WestJet said it is offering a 12.5 per cent wage increase in the first year and a compound increase of 23.5 per cent over the remaining five and a half years.

In June, union members voted overwhelmingly, with 97.25 per cent rejecting a tentative wage deal with WestJet.

Meanwhile, WestJet has not yet revealed plans to refund or help travellers reschedule their flights.

“This disruption has been and continues to be extremely difficult for Canadians travelling with WestJet… We are monitoring this situation very closely and expect WestJet to do its best to reschedule impacted passengers as soon as possible,” Canadian Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez said in a statement shared with Now Toronto on Tuesday.