WestJet flight delays expected to last days despite strike ending

WestJet is grappling with significant flight disruptions that are expected to persist for several days, despite the conclusion of a one-day flight attendants' strike. A tentative agreement between the airline and the union has been reached, allowing flight attendants to return to work, but the ripple effects of the labor action continue to impact operations.

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WestJet is resuming operations and entering the recovery phase following a labour disruption. Flights have begun to operate; however, the impacts of the disruption continue as the airline works to restore its network. Guests are encouraged to continue checking the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

The airline confirmed it is in the "recovery phase" and is working to restore its network. However, passengers are strongly encouraged to monitor their flight statuses before heading to the airport, as disruptions are ongoing. WestJet has not provided a specific timeline for when normal operations will fully resume, a silence that aviation experts interpret as indicative of the complex recovery process.

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WestJet Mainline flight attendants have reached a tentative agreement after strike action helped bring the parties to a resolution. With the strike now over, flight attendants will be returning to work.

John Gradek, an aviation management expert at McGill University, explained that restarting an airline's complex network is not instantaneous. Aircraft and crews were repositioned globally to manage the strike, and returning them to their scheduled locations takes time. Gradek estimates that the network might resemble normal by Friday or Saturday, with a full backlog clearance taking anywhere from a week to 10 days, particularly challenging during the peak summer season when flights are already full.

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WestJet’s reluctance to put a timeline on recovery tells the real story: restarting an airline is nothing like flipping a switch. To ride out the strike, aircraft and crews were repositioned across the country and overseas, and getting them back where the schedule needs them takes days, not hours.

To mitigate passenger inconvenience, WestJet has extended its flexible cancellation policy to include flights scheduled up to August 6, 2026. This policy allows passengers to make changes to their travel plans amidst the ongoing uncertainty. The airline had also placed an unknown number of its 737 aircraft into storage in anticipation of the job action.

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Realistically, we’re looking at Friday or Saturday before the network resembles normal, and a week to 10 days to fully clear the backlog, because this is peak summer, the flights still operating are already full, and there’s almost no room to reaccommodate people.