WestJet strike ends as tentative deal recognises pre-flight cabin crew work

Newyork,UPDATED: Aug 3, 2026 20:18 IST

Canada's second-largest airline, WestJet, has reached a tentative agreement with its flight attendants, bringing an end to a strike that led to hundreds of flight cancellations and left thousands of passengers stranded during a long holiday weekend.

The union representing the cabin crew said the proposed deal would recognise work done by flight attendants before take-off if members ratify it. CUPE 8125 said the strike is over and flight attendants will return to work, though the agreement still needs approval in a ratification vote.

WestJet cancelled 495 flights on Sunday, disrupting travel across Canada. The airline said about 2,50,000 travellers had their trips cancelled. Some people struggled to find accommodation while stranded away from home, while others were unable to reschedule their flights.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees represents 4,400 cabin crew at the airline. "This tentative agreement represents meaningful progress," CUPE 8125 President Alia Hussain said in a statement. "It evolves the flight credit system by recognizing more of the work cabin crew are required to perform and with general increases to compensation for that work."

Before the strike began, WestJet had proposed a 13 per cent wage increase in October, rises of 2.5 per cent each January for the next three years, retroactive wage payments to last January, additional pay for all hours worked, and improvements to other benefits, according to the airline. Hussain had said negotiators tried until the last minute to secure a fair deal, but the airline's offer did not go far enough.

A key issue in the dispute was how flight attendants should be paid for duties carried out on the ground. The union said some of that work was unpaid, while the company said staff were compensated through a "credit hour" system rather than an hourly rate. A similar dispute arose last summer at Air Canada, the country's largest carrier, when a three-day strike stranded more than 1,00,000 travellers during the peak travel season. With the WestJet strike now over, cabin crew are set to return to work while union members vote on the tentative deal.

With PTI Inputs

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