WestJet chief executive Alexis von Hoensbroech said on Wednesday that the company and the union that represents its pilots remain far apart on key sticking points – particularly wages – as negotiations intensify and the deadline for a strike is approaching.
“The gap is still huge,” von Hoensbroech said on a Tuesday night conference call from a hotel north of Toronto, where the negotiations are taking place.
About 1,800 pilots from WestJet and its subsidiary Swoop are set to walk off Friday at 3 a.m. after the union issued a strike notice Monday night.
The standoff leaves thousands of passengers with travel plans for the May long weekend – and beyond – in limbo. This has already affected bookings.
“We are seeing a slowdown in bookings,” admitted the CEO. It is painful. »
“However, we are still getting bookings, so the majority of our customers seem to assume that we will continue to fly. And that is our intention. »
The company hasn’t posted an annual profit since 2019 due to the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
With more than 16,700 flights scheduled for this month, WestJet is responsible for almost a third of Canada’s domestic market, while Air Canada owns half.
Bernard Lewall, who heads WestJet’s branch of the Air Line Pilot Association (ALPA) union, said wages, hours and job security remained areas of contention.
In response to Monday’s strike notice, WestJet issued a lockout notice shortly before midnight Monday to maintain “control” of its planes, the chief executive said.
“If a strike hits us on short notice, at a time when we don’t expect it, we could abandon a plane somewhere in the Caribbean – I don’t know where,” von Hoensbroech pointed out. Then we would be in trouble. »
WestJet’s chief executive and chief operating officer and chief financial officer all went to a hotel in Richmond Hill, Ont., to try to strike a deal with the union.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra encouraged the two sides to reach a resolution, noting that a federal mediator was on the ground.
“I don’t want to put my finger on the scales,” he said. Obviously, airlines have obligations to their customers. But at the end of the day, the biggest obligation is to make sure they deliver the service they sold to customers. »
In the event of a delay or cancellation, customers will be “refunded or relocated, as appropriate,” the airline said Monday.
