WestJet flight attendants on strike as company suspends most bookings
The union representing 4,400 WestJet flight employees says its members are on strike after last-minute negotiations failed to reach a deal.
A strike by WestJet flight attendants is underway after last-minute negotiations failed to lead to a new collective agreement.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local 8125, which represents about 4,400 WestJet flight attendants, confirmed its members were on strike.
“Our bargaining committee worked until the strike deadline last night to try and get a deal with WestJet,” Cameron Jones, reporting secretary for CUPE local 8125, said in a press conference Sunday in Calgary. “Unfortunately, that wasn’t able to happen.”
He went on to say that despite no deal being reached and its members now on strike, the bargaining committee was back at the table to try and reach an agreement.
The job action comes after the union issued a strike notice last week, which saw the company issue its own lockout notice.
WestJet began winding down its jet flights on Saturday, and officially suspended all air travel bookings due to the job action. According to the company, the suspension goes until Aug. 5, though if a deal isn’t reached before then it’s expected to last longer.
As of Sunday, WestJet says approximately 600 flights have been cancelled so far.
The airline says Encore flights continue to operate.
WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said in a statement the airline was “disappointed” by the strike.
“Our focus remains on staying available for the union to reach an agreement,” he wrote. “We presented a proposal that would have set a new standard for cabin crew in Canada.”
That offer was outlined in a separate news release, and included a 13 per cent pay increase effective Oct. 1 and retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026. This would be followed by 2.5 per cent increases annually to 2029.
The dispute centres largely on compensation for work performed on the ground, including boarding passengers, completing safety checks and managing delays.
“The bargaining committee is trying to close that gap to get a deal that we believe is fair and that we can bring back to the membership,” Jones said.
The offer put forward by WestJet, outlined in the news release also included what it called a “duty pay premium.” The airline defined this as a payment for all duty hours, “additional pay for all hours worked designed to solve the union’s claim of unpaid work,” which it claims is equivalent to another 12 per cent salary increase.
Barry Eidlin, a sociology professor and labour expert at McGill University, said WestJet flight attendants are generally paid only while an aircraft is in the air, even though delays have become increasingly common.
Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said in a statement early Sunday morning that it was a “disappointing development.”
“A strike or lockout does not mean an agreement can’t be reached, the expectation is that parties can and should come to an agreement at the bargaining table,” Hajdu said.
Asked whether he believes the government will step in as they did last year during the Air Canada strike, Jones said yes and said the bargaining team is still at the table.
“The goal is that we’re expecting the federal government to protect our right to strike and allow bargaining to happen at the bargaining table as it’s designed to do under the Canada Labour Code,” he said.
What happens when the strike endS?
Even when the strike ends, flights won’t necessarily be in the air the minute it’s over.
Ian Lee, a professor of management at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, said there’s a process before and after it ends.
“It’s very, very disruptive because they incur all kinds of costs,” he told Global News. “They’ve got to store the planes, and when the strike ends, people don’t send the plane back out on the runway.”
He noted the airline is subject to “elaborate” safety rules and regulations, including rechecking every plane and its parts.
How could my upcoming flight be affected?
The Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), set by the Government of Canada and administered by the Canadian Transportation Agency, ensure travellers are given alternative travel arrangements or compensation where applicable, but the specifics depend on who is making the changes and when.
According to the WestJet, people with travel booked between July 30 and Aug. 6 will be able to make a one-time change or cancellation at no additional cost.
Should a strike lead to flight delays or cancellations, “impacted guests will be refunded or reaccommodated, as applicable.”
As required by the air passenger rights legislation, passengers “may be eligible for compensation if a cancellation results in a delay which causes you to arrive 3 or more hours late at your final destination.”
Under the terms of the rules, if WestJet makes a cancellation or schedule change as the result of a labour disruption, that is considered to be outside of the carrier’s control and triggers a specific set of rights that must be met for passengers depending on the circumstances.
If a flight is cancelled or delayed by three hours or more because of a strike, WestJet must provide clear information in a timely manner and passengers must be offered alternate travel arrangements. Those arrangements may also require the air carrier to provide meal vouchers and accommodations.
According to the APPR, the airline must rebook a passenger free of charge on the next available flight operated by WestJet or one of its partners departing within 48 hours of the original departure time.
If it cannot, WestJet must book a passenger on the next available flight operated by a competitor that WestJet does not have an interline agreement or the passenger can request a refund of any unused portion of the ticket.
Barry Choi, a travel expert at the moneywehave.com, told Global News those options may not work for everyone.
“The problem is we’re already hearing reports of people getting a new flight that doesn’t work for them, it’s going to be cancelled against because maybe it’s later in the day or tomorrow morning,” he said. “People have places to be and they’re certainly concerned but overall, they might have to take matters into their own hands.”
That comes at a risk though. Under the APPR, whether cancellations are made before or after a strike occurs, if a passenger decides they want to cancel or modify their booking before WestJet cancels their flight, they’re no longer protected by the terms of the legislation if the flight is cancelled after.
—with files from Global News’ Prisha Dev and Ariel Rabinovitch
This story was originally published by Global News on August 2, 2026. CityAM Canada is republishing it for our Canadian readers.