1) Travellers watch as WestJet cancels flights with no end to mechanics strike in sight

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By David Boles, June 30, 2024

Travellers flying with WestJet continue to watch as the airline cancels more flights due to a sudden strike by its mechanics union.

The Calgary-based airline says it’s now cancelled 407 flights over the Canada Day long weekend in an effort to “maintain stability.”

Most of the flights were cancelled on Saturday, with 282 trips on WestJet planes being called off.

“Every flight cancellation we are forced to issue represents hundreds of guests, who are being impacted by the continued reckless actions of this union,” said WestJet Airlines president Diederik Pen in a statement issued late Saturday night.

The flight cancellations come after the Airplane Mechanics Fraternal Association members walked off the job on Friday afternoon, stating WestJet’s “unwillingness to negotiate with the union made the strike inevitable.”

The job action comes after members of the union rejected a deal from WestJet earlier this month and after two weeks of tense negotiations between the two parties.

Following that, the federal government stepped in and mandated WestJet and the union to binding arbitration.

Friday’s strike action came as a surprise to many flying with WestJet, leaving travellers to wonder about whether or not they’ll be stranded far away from home.

“Major Delays, Phone Line Dead. “Unscheduled maintenance”, this isn’t good. I am sitting in YYC Lounge. Do I get to go home?” said Luke Antrim, who lives in Nanaimo, on X.

In an update to its membership, AMFA leadership posted a letter from the Canada Industrial Relations Board regarding its decision in which it said that the ministerial referral “does not have the effect of suspending the right to strike or lockout.”

That response prompted WestJet to say it’s “extremely outraged at these actions and will hold AMFA 100 per cent accountable for the unnecessary stress and costs incurred as a result.”

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, who said the order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board was “clearly inconsistent” with the direction he provided, weighed in again on Saturday, telling both parties to collaborate with the board to get a deal done.

“There’s a lot at stake here. Canadians need this resolved,” he said on X.

2) WestJet cancels at least 150 flights following surprise mechanics union strike

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Keith Doucette and Rianna Lim, Published June 29, 2024

A surprise strike by unionized airline mechanics at WestJet left tens of thousands of passengers wondering whether they would reach their destinations on Saturday after the airline cancelled more than 150 flights.

The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) announced its members started to strike around 5:30 p.m. MDT Friday because the airline’s “unwillingness to negotiate with the union made the strike inevitable.”

The move came after the federal government issued a ministerial order for binding arbitration on Thursday. 

The order followed two weeks of turbulent discussions with the union on a new deal.

Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan issued a brief statement on Saturday morning saying he was reviewing the order by the Canada Industrial Relations Board, calling it “clearly inconsistent” with the direction he provided.”

“I will be looking at additional steps to protect the interests of the employer, the union and all Canadians travelling over this national holiday weekend,” said O’Regan.

In an update to its 680 members, the union posted a letter from the board regarding its decision in which it said that the ministerial referral “does not have the effect of suspending the right to strike or lockout.”

Calgary-based WestJet lambasted the move by the mechanics union, saying it’s “extremely outraged at these actions and will hold AMFA 100 per cent accountable for the unnecessary stress and costs incurred as a result.”

The threat of a strike seemed to recede On Thursday when WestJet said AMFA had “confirmed they will abide by the direction. Given this, a strike or lockout will not occur, and the airline will no longer proceed in cancelling flights.”

Friday’s change in position seemed to shock travellers and executives alike.

“Is my flight on Sunday in jeopardy?” asked Andrew Wheatley of Edmonton in a post to X.

“I support a union’s right to strike if it’s legal. And hopefully, they will get a good deal. But at the same time, I have to be at work Monday morning,” he added.

Sean McVeigh, a WestJet aircraft maintenance engineer picketing at Toronto Pearson International Airport’s Terminal 3 on Saturday, said the strike is an attempt to force the airline to return to a “respectful negotiation.”

McVeigh said the union regrets any inconvenience caused to passengers.

“However, the reason they (passengers) have possibly missed a flight or had to cancel is due to the reason that WestJet is not respectfully sitting down at the table and negotiating,” he said alongside roughly 20 others on the picket line. 

McVeigh said the union is asking for better working conditions and a “fair and respectful wage.”

“We take on a lot of responsibility and we would just like to be appreciated financially,” he said.

Earlier this month, the mechanics voted overwhelmingly to reject a tentative deal with the Calgary-based airline, prompting WestJet to seek government intervention.

Gabor Lukacs, president of advocacy group Air Passenger Rights, said as things currently stand the union is participating in a legal strike.

“I believe that the blame here lies at the feet of management and not the union,” Lukacs said in a phone interview. “From a business management perspective they (WestJet) have not been handling the situation well and they need to face the music.”

The airline has said the flight cancellations could affect as many as 20,000 passengers and Lukacs said people need to know their rights.

He said WestJet has an obligation under the law to find stranded passengers alternate travel arrangements within 48 hours, either through another of its flights or with a competitor.

People can also ask for a refund, although Lukacs said he recommends against doing so.

“I would urge passengers not to take a refund unless they are absolutely sure they don’t want to travel,” he said. “If you take a refund then WestJet can wash its hands of its obligations to you.”

This isn’t the first time labour unrest at WestJet has affected holiday weekend travel plans. The airline averted a strike last year in the early hours of the May long weekend, but before cancelling over 230 flights and forcing thousands of people to have their travel plans changed.

3) The new airline rivalries: Air Canada vs. Porter, WestJet vs. Flair

Courtesy: Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Christopher Reynolds

A Porter airplane lands in Toronto on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. In a country traditionally dominated by two national airlines, a new set of aviation rivalries has emerged. Porter is increasingly moving in on Air Canada’s home turf of Central Canada as well as cross-country routes, while WestJet seeks to counter the threat of Flair Airlines in a shift from the decades-old industry dynamic of sparring between the two biggest carriers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

On a warm Wednesday this month, a cartoon raccoon raised a cocktail glass and sarcastically saluted Air Canada.

The social media image, posted by Porter Airlines, included an accompanying toast from the character: “Air Canada has now joined Porter in offering free beer, wine and snacks to all passengers. Thanks for joining our mission to help everyone actually enjoy economy!”

Tongue firmly in cheek, the post went on to ask Canada’s largest airline, “What’s next, a raccoon mascot?”

The online jibe marked the latest instance of publicly calling out competitors — a recent trend amid a transforming airline market that has companies stepping on each other’s wingtips in new ways and on a bigger scale.

In a country traditionally dominated by two national airlines, a new set of aviation rivalries has emerged. Porter is increasingly moving in on Air Canada’s home turf of Central Canada as well as cross-country routes, while WestJet seeks to counter the threat of Flair Airlines in a shift from the decades-old industry dynamic of sparring between the two biggest carriers.

Porter, once a regional player hovering around the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal triangle, has over the past 18 months tripled its domestic market share to nearly 10 per cent. Turboprop planes were used when the carrier only covered short distances. Now it has 35 Embraer jets in its fleet and expects 40 more by 2027, up from zero as recently as January of last year.

The rapid expansion overlaps heavily with Air Canada territory in Ontario and Quebec, prompting the country’s largest airline to serve up no-charge treats and drinks. Cocktails also now cost $5 per glass, down from $9. Porter has long touted similar offers.

“It shows that they’re concerned about our market share growth and what we’re doing, and that we’re a real competitive threat to them,” said Porter president Kevin Jackson in a phone interview.

“How do I prove that? They did not launch free beer and wine to Mexico and the Caribbean. We don’t fly there yet.”

Air Canada said it continually refines its on-board products. “We take all competition seriously,” said spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick in an email.

Flair and WestJet have also raised their hackles as the two jostle for market share.

Flair now has a 20-plane fleet — still a fraction of WestJet’s 180 aircraft, but enough to demand a response from the older of the two Alberta-based airlines.

In a bid to attract more price-sensitive customers — Flair’s core demographic — earlier this month, WestJet replaced its basic ticket tier with a new fare category that did away with a free carry-on bag and other perks travellers once took for granted. Customers who choose the “ultra-basic” option must pay to select a seat even when checking in. Also, they board last — despite being relegated to the back of the plane.

Flair joined in on the ribbing that Canadians delivered online, retweeting a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, from satirical news site The Beaverton: “WestJet announces SuperUltraBasic fare where customers just stay home and give them money.”

“Don’t be ultra basic. Fly Flair,” the budget airline, which offers a nearly identical fare tier, posted a day earlier.

But WestJet may have the last laugh. In its first week, the fare class topped expectations with more than 100,000 tickets sold, the company said.

John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, said WestJet’s move marks a competitive thrust against a growing rival.

“They’re basically taking Flair on head-to-head,” he said.

Flair swooped in to fill the void left by Air Canada when it pulled out of dozens of regional routes west of Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Calgary-based WestJet has cut routes in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada to refocus on its home turf out west. On Toronto-Montreal, it went from about 370 flights per month two years ago to none, according to figures from aviation data firm Cirium.

WestJet retrenched in the East and dug in farther west “rather than go up against Air Canada in a lot of markets,” said Helane Becker, an aviation analyst at TD Cowen. “That’s where they were strong,” she said, referring to British Columbia and the Prairies.

Montreal-based Air Canada has mirrored this move, remaining in Central and Eastern Canada while scaling back in the West. With Porter’s ascent, it has replaced WestJet as Air Canada’s biggest rival on routes such as Toronto-Halifax, Toronto-Fredericton and Montreal-Moncton, N.B.

The fresh dynamics of the airline world don’t necessarily mean more competition, particularly on regional trips.

Lynx Air and Swoop are defunct — and Sunwing Airlines is set to fold into WestJet’s main operation next year. As surviving airlines set their sights on more lucrative markets abroad and ditch smaller planes in the interest of higher-volume trips, flight numbers on numerous short-haul routes have plummeted over the past five years.

Domestic capacity will likely decrease this year compared to 2023, Becker said. Partly as a result, prices keep rising. Airfares climbed nearly five per cent year-over-year last month, according to the latest consumer price index report.

WestJet and Air Canada remain rivals, as do Porter and WestJet, with all four competing for traffic between Toronto and Vancouver as well as on trips to Florida, among other spots. But the lines on the competition map have been redrawn.

“All carriers are competitors, including U.S. carriers … but the airline that we overlap the most with, of course, is Air Canada,” Porter’s Jackson said.

“We’re stealing market share.”