On Saturday, as the deadline neared, WestJet canceled dozens of flights to prevent passengers and crew members from being stranded. The WestJet counters at Toronto Pearson International Airport were almost deserted late Saturday afternoon.
WestJet Airlines is Canada’s second-largest carrier, after Air Canada, and began operating in 1996 as a low-cost carrier with three aircraft. It was purchased in 2019 by a Toronto-based private equity firm, Onex Corporation, and flies nearly 200 planes to more than 100 destinations.
It is the second major disruption to Canadian air travel in a year. Last summer, the Canadian government ordered a binding arbitration to shut down a strike by 10,000 flight attendants for Air Canada that began largely over similar compensation issues.
The walkout lasted a little less than 12 hours, but it disrupted thousands of travelers over several days. In February, an arbitrator settled the contract that included partial pay for work by Air Canada flight attendants while on the ground.
In recent years, some major U.S. airlines, including Delta, American and Alaska, have started paying flight attendants for work performed while planes are on the ground.