Category: WestJet

WestJet Appeals Passenger Compensation Ruling Over Cancelled Flight

WestJet is appealing an order by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) to pay $1,000 to a passenger whose flight was delayed due to staffing shortages. The Canadian airline claims it should not be held responsible for the staff shortage at the time of the passenger’s delayed flight because it was a health and safety issue. The…


Strike Averted After WestJet Reaches Tentative Agreement With Unifor Service Workers

There will be no strike at WestJet this week now that the airline has reached a tentative labour deal with the union representing hundreds of workers at the Calgary and Vancouver airports. Both the airline and Unifor Local 531 announced the deal on Sunday evening, days before nearly 800 baggage and customer service staff could…


Over 100 Employees Sue WestJet Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

A group of more than 100 WestJet employees is taking legal action against the airline and the federal government over the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policies for airline workers. The group, comprised of active and inactive pilots, flight attendants, and customer service agents, said in a statement that they were “negatively impacted” by the mandates, such…


WestJet Airlines to Buy Sunwing Airlines

WestJet Airlines Ltd. is acquiring Sunwing Airlines Inc., sources say, as competition in the Canadian travel market heats up. Crystal Hill, vice-president of CUPE 4070, the union that represents WestJet flight attendants, says executives informed her that the purchase announcement would be going ahead today. The acquisition was confirmed by another source, who could not…


Airlines Cancel Flights, Call for Travel Restriction Rollbacks Des 1/8 Glimmers of Hope

Canada’s two main airlines continue to slash their schedules and demand that Ottawa roll back COVID-19 travel restrictions to staunch the cash bleed—though experts see glimmers of hope on the horizon. WestJet Airlines Ltd. has cancelled 20 percent of its flights in March, extending schedule cuts from February amid ongoing uncertainty that continues to drain…


Airlines Cancel Flights, Call for Travel Restriction Rollbacks

Canada’s two main airlines continue to slash their schedules and demand that Ottawa roll back COVID-19 travel restrictions to staunch the cash bleed—though experts see glimmers of hope on the horizon. WestJet Airlines Ltd. has cancelled 20 percent of its flights in March, extending schedule cuts from February amid ongoing uncertainty that continues to drain…


WestJet to Cancel 15% of Flights Due to COVID 19 Related Staff Shortages

CALGARY—WestJet Airlines Ltd. is dealing with so many employees out sick with the Omicron variant that it is being forced to cut 15 percent of its scheduled flights through to the end of January. WestJet spokeswoman Morgan Bell confirmed via email that the airline has seen a 35 percent rise in active COVID-19 cases among…


Weather, Not Omicron, Taking the Biggest Bite out of Canadian Airline Schedules

CALGARY—Canadian air travelers are experiencing an uptick in flight cancellations this holiday season, but airlines say weather is a bigger factor than COVID-19. According to airline data company Cirium, Canada’s largest airlines canceled hundreds of flights between Dec. 22 and Dec. 26 of this year. Flair Airlines canceled nine percent of its scheduled flights during…


US FAA Names WestJet Official as New Aviation Safety Chief

WASHINGTON—The Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday it has tapped a Canadian airline safety official to head the agency’s aviation safety organization. Billy Nolen, who has most recently been vice president for safety, security, and quality for WestJet Airlines in Canada, will begin early next year as the FAA’s associate administrator for aviation safety, leading…


Airline Industry Bailout Talks Ongoing as Committee Explores Options

While the federal government continues talks with airlines over a bailout package that could cost as much as $9 billion, a parliamentary committee on March 23 heard from other aviation sector players about ways to assist the recovery of the industry left reeling from pandemic restrictions on domestic and international travel. Ottawa’s fighter jet contract…