WestJet flight attendants vote in favour of a strike, threatening August travel

July 16, 2026 Team Contributor

There’s another kind of storm brewing up at WestJet, not in the skies but on the ground. A WestJet strike might soon hit the Canadian aviation space. Your August summer plans might be in disarray if the situation escalates.

We may soon witness a massive labour disruption due to a WestJet flight attendants strike. Some 250 of them, neatly dressed in their blue work uniforms, lined up by the roadside outside WestJet’s Calgary headquarters on Tuesday, holding placards demanding better working conditions and pay.

CUPE Local 8125, which represents some 4,400 WestJet flight attendants, has received a strong mandate for the WestJet Strike. The seriousness of the situation can be assessed from the fact that the WestJet flight attendants’ strike vote, favouring the move, stood at a staggering 99.4%.

When can the WestJet strike legally kick in?

The mandate doesn’t automatically mean an immediate pause in work. It simply creates a solid ground for the strike to be implemented. The body released a statement where it said, “Following a 21-day cooling-off period, cabin crew could go on strike as early as August 2, 2026,”. It means union members could legally walk off the job as of this date.

Earlier this month, CTN reported on a strike vote by WestJet flight attendants, raising the possibility of labour disruption.

WestJet has faced disruptions in the past due to employee strikes. In 2024, a paralysing strike by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) forced the airline to park 130 aircraft at 13 airports across Canada, impacting close to 60,000 travellers

Borrowing from Transat and Air Canada strikes

WestJet flight attendants are following in the footsteps of their peers at Air Transat and Air Canada, who have successfully pushed for better compensation and working conditions.

In early 2024, Air Transat flight attendants successfully avoided a strike by ratifying a new collective agreement, under which members received a total compound salary increase of 30% over the five-year term, a rejig of the wage structure that abolished the first two pay levels, and personal leave and vacation days. Federal mediators were involved here.

Last summer, in August 2025, Air Canada flight attendants engaged in a labour action that became a focal point of the current WestJet negotiations. The focal point was unpaid work.

The strike didn’t last long. A federal back-to-work order and intervention by federal mediators resolved things. The union saw it as a mixed win. While ground pay was secured, the union and the airline could not agree on wages.

Hussain fears a similar federal intervention would hurt their prospects.

A long-standing demand of WestJet flight attendants

The union local president, Alia Hussain, urged WestJet to act promptly, do the “right thing” and not let the passengers suffer.

At the heart of the issue is a negotiation that has dragged on for 10 long months, revolving around wages, unpaid work, working conditions, and the “flight credit system”. WestJet’s flight credit system is under special scrutiny, which WestJet flight attendants find coercive, as it extracts an average of 35 hours of unpaid work per month.

She was pointing to a long-standing practice in which cabin crew are not paid for all time spent on duty (such as during pre- and post-flight procedures).

They also point out that current wages have not kept pace with inflation. Hussain termed the flight credit system archaic and exploitative. She also added that the strike is a last resort and that WestJet hasn’t come up with offers they can accept. The goal is to reach a deal at the bargaining table and avoid a strike.

WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbrach has brushed down the allegations about the flight credit system.

He expressed hope that WestJet is working to end the stalemate.
“And we need a contract that works for WestJet, and between those two, I am confident we will find an outcome that works for everyone.”

Potential impact of the WestJet flight attendants strike

The impact of the WestJet strike, as aviation experts observe, could be large. The strike would begin in early August, which is regarded as one of Canada’s busiest travel months. Industry experts have noted that a full shutdown could potentially impact between 70,000 and 75,000 passengers daily.

We talked to the Miller family from Calgary who have been saving for months for a trip to the Maritimes to see the tides at the Bay of Fundy.

“We absolutely believe the flight attendants deserve to be paid for their time,” says Sarah Miller. “They are the ones keeping us safe at 30,000 feet. But we have a rental car reservation in Halifax and non-refundable lodge bookings. I hope the WestJet flight attendants strike doesn’t stretch long”.

Know your passenger rights during a strike

We are not sure which way the WestJet flight attendants strike would go. But it’s good to know what your rights are as a passenger. Passenger rights in Canada are governed primarily by the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR).

Even if you are not entitled to cash compensation (up to $1,000), which applies only to specific situations like crew scheduling or commercial decisions, the airline still has specific obligations to assist you:

• Rebooking: If your flight is cancelled, the airline must rebook you on the next available flight. For large carriers, if they cannot rebook you on one of their own flights within 9 hours, they must rebook you on a flight with another airline (including competitors).
• Refunds: If the rebooking options provided do not meet your travel needs, you are entitled to a full refund of the unused portion of your ticket.
• Duty of Care: Airlines must provide assistance, such as food, drinks, and access to communication (like Wi-Fi), if you are waiting at the airport due to a disruption. The clause is that the airlines informed you of the changes less than 12 hours before your original departure. If the wait involves an overnight stay, they are generally responsible for providing hotel accommodation and transportation.

Given the potential for disruption, travellers with bookings around the August long weekend are advised to monitor the situation closely and check the status of their flights directly through WestJet’s official channels as the August 2 date approaches.

CTN will bring more news on the WestJet strike as the story unfolds. Stay tuned.

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