WestJet, Canada’s second largest airline, is largely grounded as of today, as flight attendants have gone on strike over stalled contract negotiations. Unlike in the United States, it’s pretty easy for airline unions in Canada to actually call a strike. The question is, how long will it last, and will the government intervene?
WestJet’s operations largely grounded over industrial action
WestJet flight attendants have gone on strike as of 2:01AM ET on Sunday, August 2, 2026, in the middle of one of Canada’s busiest travel weekends of the year. The union issued a 72-hour strike warning earlier this week, after flight attendants voted 99% in favor of a strike mandate.
In recent days, WestJet has started to cancel flights, in preparation for grounding its fleet. Virtually all mainline flights are canceled, while most flights by regional carrier WestJet Encore continue to operate.
Under Canadian law, the airline is required to rebook passengers on the next available flight, even if it’s on another airline. However, that’s easier said than done, especially given that most flights are already full on such a busy travel weekend.
WestJet states that it “remains at the table and committed to achieving a negotiated tentative agreement that recognizes the important contributions and professionalism of WestJet’s Cabin Crew.”
There’s no end in sight for this strike. It’s worth remembering the rough flight attendant strike that Air Canada had last August, which ultimately ended with the Canadian government ordering flight attendants back to work, and forcing arbitration.
That was done on the basis of Canada’s Minister of Jobs and Families invoking her authorities under section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, “because it is critical to maintaining and securing industrial peace, protecting Canadians and promoting conditions to resolve the dispute.”
WestJet flight attendants are primarily on strike over ground pay
Why are WestJet flight attendants on strike? Well, the company and the union have been engaged in contract negotiations since September 2025, so we’re coming up on a year of negotiations. According to WestJet, the company’s “most recent proposal was designed to be a transformative, industry-leading agreement for WestJet’s Cabin Crew, and directly addressed the key issues the union identified as its priorities.”
The union’s demands primarily revolve around ground pay. Historically, flight attendants have been paid whenever the aircraft door is closed, but not for things like boarding, etc. That is slowly starting to change in the industry, and it’s a key sticking point for the union. CUPE 8125, the union representing WestJet flight attendants, has even set up a website with the URL unpaidworkwontfly.ca. As the union explains:
Did you know flight attendants in Canada work for an average of 35 hours for free every month? Most airlines don’t pay flight attendants for vital safety-related duties like assisting passengers with additional needs, attending to medical and safety emergencies, boarding, deplaning, and ground delays.
The airline points out that flight attendants are paid by block hours based on when the aircraft door opens and closes, and that is “the standard pay model for cabin crews across North America” (which isn’t entirely true anymore).
In fairness, the model of flight attendant pay has long been that they get a higher hourly rate than they’d otherwise get if they were purely paid for any time where they were performing job duties. That doesn’t make it logical, necessarily, but the idea is that even at airlines that have introduced boarding pay, it’s at a reduced rate, in reflection of that.
Bottom line
WestJet flight attendants have gone on strike as of Sunday, meaning that nearly all mainline flights have been canceled. In Canada it’s pretty easy for airline employees to go on strike, and flight attendants voted overwhelmingly in favor of this. Interestingly, Air Canada flight attendants also went on strike around the same time last year, but the government stepped in to stop that.
WestJet flight attendants are wanting a new contract, and the major point of disagreement involves ground pay, for things like boarding. If you’re scheduled to fly WestJet in the coming days, don’t expect that your flight will operate.
How do you see this WestJet flight attendant strike playing out?