WestJet flight cancellations tapering off as airline ramps back up after strike

Flight disruptions at WestJet appeared to be tailing off Tuesday as the airline ramps up following a brief work stoppage over the long weekend.

Data from aviation analytics company Cirium showed 16 WestJet flights scheduled for Tuesday had been cancelled, as of 4 p.m. ET.

That comes after more than 300 flights were cancelled Monday, or around 62 per cent of those scheduled, despite the carrier reaching a tentative deal early that morning with the union representing its 4,400 flight attendants.

WestJet has said a full return to normal operations will take time as the airline resumes flying and repositions its aircraft and crews.

“WestJet is resuming operations and entering the recovery phase following a labour disruption,” WestJet spokesperson Ashley Tymko said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.

“Flights have begun to operate; however, the impacts of the disruption continue as the airline works to restore its network. Guests are encouraged to continue checking the status of their flights before heading to the airport.”

Asked if normal operations were expected by Wednesday, WestJet said it would provide an update once it has one.

Flight attendants walked off the job early Sunday morning after WestJet and CUPE Local 8125 couldn’t reach a new contract before the strike deadline, which prompted WestJet to ground all flights across much of Canada.

WestJet has extended the window for customers to make a one-time change to their itineraries or cancel their flights with no fees. It says passengers who were scheduled to travel between July 30 and this Thursday can do so.

Affected passengers would be refunded or re-accommodated as applicable when delays or cancellations occur, according to the airline.

Under passenger protection rules, it is the airline’s responsibility to arrange alternate transportation for ticket holders on a rival carrier’s flight if necessary within 48 hours.

“Failing that, they have to offer you a refund,” said Ian Jack, a spokesperson for the Canadian Automobile Association.

“But crucially, they don’t need to make you take a refund if you don’t want to.”

Jack said the practicality of those rules can often be “murky,” since there are only so many seats available on certain routes in a given day.

“If WestJet stops flying because of a strike and they put some people on Air Canada and Porter, at some point they’re going to run out of empty seats for those days within that time period,” he said.

“So in a country like Canada, which only really has, sort of, two and a half national carriers, the protection that the regulations give you to get re-booked doesn’t always work in practice because there just aren’t enough seats necessarily.”

After Air Canada’s flight attendants went on strike last year, that airline created a policy that allowed passengers affected by cancellations to apply for reimbursement for alternative travel and out-of-pocket expenses. Air Canada had said it would cover “reasonable expenses” for hotel stays, meals and other related costs that resulted from the three-day work stoppage, stipulating that claims must be supported with receipts.

WestJet notes on its website that a labour disruption at an airline is considered a situation outside its control under Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations. That means no compensation for inconvenience is owed to passengers as a result of a flight disruption.

While airlines are required to “get you on your way within 48 hours,” Jack said don’t expect any payment on top of that for “pain and suffering.”

“It is not legally required,” he said.

“Air Canada chose to do that, to go above and beyond what they had to, which was good for the passengers.”

However, Air Canada was hit with $426,000 worth of fines for 71 violations related to that strike, as the Canadian Transportation Agency said in March it failed to meet its obligations to some passengers to provide a refund or rebook them on the next available flight. The carrier said it would dispute those penalties.

WestJet’s flight attendants have 30 days to ratify the new agreement, their union’s local president Alia Hussain said in a news conference in Calgary on Monday.

She said the deal includes pay increases, but wouldn’t provide further details in order to ensure members were briefed first.

Contract talks had been ongoing in Calgary since January, with WestJet and the CUPE WestJet component at odds over wage increases and the cabin crew’s claim of unpaid ground work.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2026.

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press