Air Canada says it may assist travellers amid possible WestJet job action

Travellers with WestJet bookings over the August long weekend are being urged to prepare for possible disruption after the airline and its flight attendants' union issued competing 72-hour notices.

CUPE Local 8125, which represents about 4,400 WestJet flight attendants, issued a strike notice and said the sides remain far apart on key issues. WestJet responded with a lockout notice. Job action could begin shortly after midnight on Aug. 2.

WestJet said there is no operational impact at present and it remains hopeful a tentative agreement can be reached, but did not say whether it would pre-emptively cancel flights. The airline cancelled flights in advance during a pilots' labour dispute in 2023.

Air Canada says it is monitoring the situation and will try to support affected WestJet passengers with available travel options. It cautioned that the August long weekend is its busiest period, with most seats sold and its fleet fully deployed, meaning demand may exceed capacity. Air Canada advised customers seeking new bookings to use its website. Flair Airlines had not responded to a request about adding flights by publication time.