A week after the mechanics’ strike ended and shut down WestJet’s network for nearly 29 hours, the airline continues to feel its effects.
The two-day work stoppage, which began June 28, forced the airline to cancel more than 1,000 flights before the end of the Canada Day long weekend, one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
The fallout continued into last week, with WestJet canceling 100 trips Friday and Saturday and at least 31 more Sunday, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. The airline’s figures suggest at least 170,000 passengers were affected.
The task of fully resuming flights on a nearly grounded fleet of 180 aircraft to more than 175 destinations is complex, costly and time-consuming. In an email, WestJet said it is working to quickly reorganize its operations.
“We sincerely apologize to all passengers affected by the strike,” said spokesperson Madison Kruger. “Our WestJet teams are working diligently to support all affected passengers as quickly as possible.”
However, travelers expressed their frustration in a torrent of messages and social media posts, saying the carrier’s customer service remained nearly unreachable for days.
Many also cited issues with rebooking. If an airline can’t rebook passengers within 48 hours, Canada’s Air Passenger Rights Act requires it to rebook passengers on “the next available flight” on any carrier, including competitors, if they refuse a refund — a choice WestJet, customers say, didn’t give them.
Difficulties booking another flight
Customer Samuel Spencer found himself stranded in San Francisco on a layover last week after his flight was cancelled halfway through his return trip to Calgary.
“Even though there were seats available on another WestJet flight [dans les 48 heures] and even for the same premium cabin seat I was ticketed for on my now cancelled flight from [l’aéroport de San Francisco]the automated email from WestJet simply said they had no rebooking options for me and encouraged me to accept a refund,” he said.
PHOTO CHRISTOPHER KATSAROV, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Many WestJet travellers have reported problems changing their bookings.
No one was present at WestJet’s ticket counters and service agents were not reachable by phone, he said. The two times he managed to get in line, he was on hold for more than four hours before deciding to hang up.
Eventually, having rebooked with Delta Air Lines for a flight more than two days later, Mr. Spencer said he now had about $2,700 in additional hotel, meal and transportation costs.
“Not only is this a technological failure, with so many people unable to change their bookings, which is completely unnecessary, but it is also a complete failure in contingency planning,” said Mr Spencer, owner of Ocean & River Cruises Travel.
He also called on the federal government and the Canadian Transportation Agency to hold the carrier to account.
WestJet said it is offering customers a refund if they fail to rebook within two days of their scheduled departure time.
The fallout from last weekend’s job action prompted the airline to pull its fleet Friday from the Calgary Stampede, a local event it has sponsored for decades. The decision was made for purely compassionate reasons, given the recent pressure on staff, said WestJet spokeswoman Morgan Bell.
At 5:30 p.m. on June 28, Mountain Daylight Time, some 680 mechanics walked off the job despite a binding arbitration directive from Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan. The country’s labour board ruled that the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association had the right to strike, catching WestJet and Ottawa off guard and forcing the Calgary-based company back to the bargaining table with the union.
The two sides reached an agreement — the impasse centered mainly on wages and compensation — on the night of June 30, but not before tens of thousands of Canadians had their long weekend travel plans upended.