Canada's WestJet airline flight attendants go on strike - can I get a refund? - BBC

ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNadine Yousif,Senior Canada reporterandJessica Murphy,Canada digital editorGetty ImagesThe union representing flight attendants at WestJet, Canada's second-largest airline, says it has reached a "tentative agreement" to end strike action. The strike, which began on Sunday, forced some 600 flights to be cancelled during one of the busiest summer holiday weekends in the country. It centred on issues related to pay, specifically compensation for work cabin staff do when the plane has yet to take off - known as ground pay in the airline industry. "With the strike now over, flight attendants will be returning to work," the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said in a statement on Monday, adding that the deal would be put to a vote. According to CUPE, the deal, if approved, would improve upon the current system for paying cabin crew "that recognises more of the work cabin crew are required to perform and increases compensation for that work". Further details were not given but CUPE said these would be shared directly with members ahead of the vote. Calgary-based WestJet, which flies to more than 130 Canadian and international destinations, said the agreement would be "transformative for both our cabin crew and the airline industry, as well as sustainable for WestJet." It added that efforts were under way to restore services "as quickly as possible". Flight attendants and WestJet have been engaged in contract negotiations since September 2025. "We have been clear about what needs to change, and we have worked hard to reach a fair deal," said Alia Hussain, president of the CUPE 8125 union, adding the union's goal was to reach an agreement without disrupting air travel. Its website on Sunday as the walkout began, simply said "on Strike". It displayed a counter showing the 213 days, hours and minutes WestJet cabin crew had been "without a valid collective agreement". A sticking issue has been pay, with the union saying that flight attendants are expected to work without pay up to 35 hours per month for duties performed when the plane has yet to take off. "Boarding, safety sweeps, assisting passengers, and ground delays are entirely on our dime," said flight attendants on a union website campaigning for the end of the policy. On its website, WestJet said its flight attendants are paid by block hours that start when the plane leaves the gate and ends when it arrives at the next gate, adding that it is "the standard pay model for cabin crews across North America". The airline said wages under the credit hour system include compensation for work done before take-off and landing. Cabin crew make anywhere between C$28 ($20; £15) to $58 ($41; £31) per hour, according to WestJet. The 72-hour strike notice announced by the union ran out on Sunday at 02:01 EST (07:01 BST), in the middle of a long weekend across most of the country. It came after union members voted 99% in favour of the strike mandate last month. The airline began parking flights on Friday in preparation even as negotiations continued. Both sides were in continued negotiations on Sunday even as the strike began. Patti Hajdu, Canada's jobs minister, who called the strike a "disappointing development", said she had been at these negotiations and had also met with both WestJet and CUPE separately. She added that federal mediators had also been involved. WestJet said on Sunday that impacted passengers would be refunded or reaccommodated, as applicable. WestJet said 600 flights had been cancelled by Sunday morning, but WestJet Encore flights booked on a Q400 and WestJet codeshare flights were not affected. Airline passenger laws in Canada mandate that carriers re-book passengers on the next available flight either from its own fleet or on a partner airline, and if both are unavailable, then they must be re-booked with a competitor. Canadian non-profit consumer group Air Passenger Rights said your rights depend on your itinerary if your flight was cancelled after the strike began. Passengers can be rebooked, free of charge, on the next available reasonable flight operated by any carrier, including on competitors' airlines. Alternatively, passengers can opt for a full refund if they choose not to travel due to the cancelled flight. The airline is required to also fly passengers back to their point of origin free of charge. But they cautioned that passengers worried about travel disruptions who pre-emptively rebook or cancel flights may not be entitled to some compensation. Stranded passengers are entitled to some compensation for delays within the airline's control that are not related to safety. Additional reporting by Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu