WestJet employees have paused their job action, but Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is cautioning travelers with bookings on the airline that their flights might still be impacted. A tentative agreement was reached in the contract dispute between WestJet and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) early Monday following the cancellation of several hundred flights.
YVR stated that it will take some time for WestJet’s operations to return to normal. On Monday, 21 WestJet flights are set to depart from Vancouver, while 49 others remain canceled. WestJet Encore flights were not affected by the recent events.
Flight attendants from WestJet went on strike on Sunday, seeking compensation for hours spent assisting passengers or waiting for delayed flights to depart. Some passengers, like Tran Thai from Edmonton, had to navigate through the consequences of the disruptions. Thai shared that his flight was canceled, and he had to fly from Vancouver to Victoria in the evening, enduring a 16-hour layover before catching his flight home.
Although WestJet has not revealed the specifics of the tentative agreement, it is subject to ratification by CUPE members before it becomes effective.