WestJet is allowing travellers booked on flights between July 30 and Aug. 4 to make a one-time change or cancel their travel without paying a fee as the airline prepares for the possibility of a labour disruption involving its flight attendants.
According to reporting by CTV News, the temporary flexibility is intended to give passengers more certainty while contract negotiations continue between WestJet and the union representing its cabin crew.
The Calgary-based carrier said eligible guests can make a one-time change or cancellation for flights scheduled during the affected travel window.
"We believe that an agreement can be reached while avoiding guest disruption," WestJet said in an email to WestJet Rewards members.
"However, we understand that uncertainty around travel plans can be concerning."
RELATED: Will WestJet Flight Attendant Strike Cause Long Weekend Chaos?
The move comes after WestJet's flight attendants voted 99.4% in favour of strike action last week. Approximately 4,400 flight attendants, represented by CUPE Local 8125, could legally begin strike action as early as Aug. 2 if a deal is not reached.
The union has said negotiations remain focused on wages, unpaid work and working conditions.
According to a statement from CUPE 8125, its goal is to achieve a “negotiated agreement and minimize any impact on travellers.” However, as negotiations with the airline failed, the strike vote was “necessary to move the process forward at the bargaining table.”
CUPE has argued that WestJet's current flight credit pay system results in flight attendants performing an average of 35 hours of unpaid work each month and says compensation has failed to keep pace with inflation.
CUPE 8125 president Alia Hussain told CBC News "it's the responsibility of the organization to allow for flexible changes to the people who pay my mortgage."
If a strike proceeds, it would come during one of the busiest travel periods of the year for Canadian airlines.
According to CTV News, aviation expert John Gradek of McGill University has estimated that a full shutdown of WestJet operations could affect 70,000 to 75,000 passengers per day.
The potential labour disruption also comes less than a year after Air Canada flight attendants staged a strike that grounded approximately 700 daily flights and disrupted travel for more than half a million passengers.
Negotiations between WestJet and CUPE remain ongoing.
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