Canadian airline WestJet has started cancelling some flights ahead of a potential strike by aircraft maintenance technicians, in an attempt to prevent passengers and planes from being stranded.
WestJet anticipates around 40 flight cancellations, impacting approximately 6,500 passengers. Earlier this week the airline had already cancelled 20 flights, equating to 4% of its schedule, after five flights were cancelled on Tuesday, according to tracking service FlightAware.
The budget airline stated it is seeking alternative arrangements for customers affected by the cancelled flights. WestJet and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association are currently in negotiations over an initial collective-bargaining agreement that would cover about 680 mechanics.
Earlier this week, WestJet requested the Canadian Industrial Relations Board to mandate binding arbitration for both parties. In response, the union informed the airline of its intention to strike as early as Thursday night unless the company returned to the bargaining table in Calgary this week.
Diederik Pen, the president of the airline, claimed that the company's most recent contract offer would have made WestJet maintenance engineers the highest paid in Canada, increasing their take-home pay by 30% to 40% within a year. However, the union argues that the airline is attempting to enforce a contract that was rejected by 97.5% of its members, and that low wages are hindering WestJet from filling open positions.
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WestJet, which was established in the 1990s and modelled after Southwest Airlines in the US, is Canada's second-largest airline.
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