WestJet “building momentum” in post-strike recovery

WestJet issued an update on its post-strike recovery on Tuesday (July 2), saying that 125 of its fleet of 180 aircraft are now active across its network. 

The Canada Day long weekend strike called by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), which represents aircraft maintenance engineers and tech ops, has now resulted in 1,137 cancelled flights (and counting), impacting some 100,000 customers.

And while the strike ended late Sunday (June 30), its impact is still being felt this week as cancellations continue.

The airline says it cancelled 75 flights on Tuesday. But improvement is in the air. As of yesterday afternoon, just eight flights were scrapped for Wednesday.  

READ MORE: “A complete disaster”: Anger & frustration as agents clean up mess left by WestJet strike

WestJet says it needs time to recover stranded crew and assign them new schedules and perform maintenance and safety checks on planes before operations are fully restored.

In a press release yesterday, WestJet referred to Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), saying that in the event reaccommodation with WestJet or an alternative airline isn’t available within 48 hours of a scheduled departure, guests are entitled to request a refund to their original form of payment.

For more on this, visit the Canadian Transportation Agency’s website.

Agents clean up the mess

Canadian travel advisors, meanwhile, continue to help clients that were impacted by strike as best as they can.

As PAX reported Tuesday, travel advisors spent several hours on hold with WestJet over the weekend as they tried to secure alternative flight options for their stranded customers.

READ MORE: WestJet confirms end to AMFA strike, says "returning to business-as-usual flying will take time"

And then there were those that booked through WestJet Vacations, which was offering refunds for cancelled trips – but only for the air portion of the package.

The land (hotel) cost was returned in the form of WestJet Dollars with a one-year expiry date from the date of cancellation, the company wrote on its website. 

Others arrived days later in destinations, missing out on hotel nights that were already paid for. 

“It was a complete disaster and not handled very well," said Tannis Dyrland, owner and CEO of Calgary, AB-based Tisson Travel Group. “It’s another example of how our industry requires the support of our federal government when needed.”

WestJet guests with imminent travel plans are advised to check the status of their flight prior to leaving for the airport.

It’s also advised to visit WestJet’s Guest Updates page for more information regarding flight status, travel changes and more.

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