WestJet starts cancelling flights as mechanics prepare for possible job action

WestJet is cancelling 25 flights on Thursday and Friday, impacting 3,300 travellers, as the airline faces a possible strike by its mechanics.

"We remain at the bargaining table, committed to reaching an agreement; however, we have no choice but to hold strong on a reasonable outcome that protects our future and ability to provide Canadians with critical and affordable air travel," said Diederik Pen, president and group COO, in a Wednesday evening release.

"As we initiate flight cancellations across our network, we will continue to manage our operations to the highest degree of safety."

The airline says the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association has issued a strike notice that could mean a work stoppage as early as 5:30 p.m. (MT) on Friday.

The notice comes after the union called off its strike plans last week and returned to the negotiating table.

The airline issued a lockout notice in response to the possible strike.

Early Wednesday afternoon, WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said that barring a last-minute resolution, the airline could begin to cancel flights as early as Thursday.

"First cancellations can be expected for tomorrow," he said. "(WestJet) guests should call the airline to check for their flight."

Von Hoensbroech said they were still working through the plan, but the initial number of cancellations would likely be "a double-digit number, that will grow as we approach the strike deadline Friday."

Later Wednesday, WestJet made the announcement it had begun cancelling flights.

WestJet said it "is making every effort to reaccommodate all impacted guests."

Von Hoensbroech said the airline would be able to maintain a number of flights in the event of a strike, serving international and continental routes. The most likely impacted routes would be domestic and Caribbean routes, and others within the North American corridor.

The airline cancelled dozens of flights last week before contract talks resumed.

Von Hoensbroech praised the airline's mechanics, but maintained that they are the best-paid in the industry and have been presented with an offer that would see salaries increase 22 per cent over four years.

"We want a deal with our mechanics," he said. "They do tremendous job -- and we pay them well. We have given them an industry-leading offer."

He said the average salary for a WestJet mechanic was currently around $109,000, with the top ones earning between $150,000 and $170,000 a year.

The new offer would make the mechanics the best-paid "by far" in the country, he added, "but they don't seem to like that.

"They said they want an industry-changing contract and not an industry-leading contract and that's obviously divorced from reality.," he said. "We would never sacrifice our future in order to avoid short-term pain."

"Right now, I don't see what a resolution could look like, unless the union becomes reasonable," he added. "We have put out our offer and it's very strong, We are ready to sit down with the union and to do anything that's reasonable -- and we are generous -- we have a great track record of coming up with reasonable agreements with our union partners, but this union is different."

He said the mechanics are being represented by a U.S. union trying to make inroads into Canada at the expense of 250,000 Canadians planning to travel on WestJet this weekend.

"They deliberately chose this weekend to create maximum damage," he said.

Union members voted overwhelmingly to reject a tentative deal earlier this month and have voiced opposition to WestJet's request for arbitration.

WestJet mechanics say wages have not kept up with inflation.

"We work 365 days a year, 24-7 ... get no night shift premium, all we want is a decent wage for the amount of responsibilities that we take," said Scott Christopherson, aircraft maintenance engineer.

Flights pre-emptively cancelled due to strike concerns put the airline on the hook for passenger compensation.

"It's making a business decision fully within its control, therefore WestJet will have to rebook passengers and compensate the passengers in cash," said Gabor Lukacs, Airline Passenger Rights president.

That's different if flights are cancelled because of a strike.

With files from CTV Calgary's Alesia Fieldberg and The Canadian Press