It’s not quite clear skies ahead for WestJet.
The aircraft mechanics strike is over — with the airline and union reaching a deal just after midnight Eastern time on Monday, putting a stop to the disruption that has led to more than 1,000 cancelled flights countrywide.
But the fallout may just be taking off, as experts say the upending of tens of thousands of travellers’ plans raised new questions about the vulnerability of an industry dominated by two major airlines, with some experts asking whether air travel should rise to the bar of an essential service. Meanwhile, the federal government has hinted at unspecified further “action” in response to the weekend turmoil.
On Monday, both sides expressed dismay over the flight cancellations, with WestJet president Diederik Pen saying there were “no victory laps on this outcome,” and that despite the tentative agreement their operations would still face disruptions throughout the upcoming week.
“Given the significant impact to WestJet’s network over the past few days, returning to business-as-usual flying will take time and further disruptions over the coming week are to be anticipated,” the company warned, later specifying that 130 of WestJet’s 180 airplanes had been parked and would now require maintenance and safety checks before taking off again.
The Airplane Mechanics Fraternal Association took a similarly apologetic tone, expressing regret for the “disruption and inconvenience” caused to travellers, while celebrating the gains made for workers’ salaries and benefits.
“We didn’t want to hold the travelling public captive,” said Ian Evershed, the union’s airline representative for WestJet. “When you’re in these kind of labour dispute situations, you have to do what you can to improve your lives.”
While the deal spells relief for the union, the airline and travellers alike, the mayhem of the weekend strike was magnified by Canada’s largely two-airline market, argued McGill supply networks and aviation lecturer John Gradek.
“This is much more concentrated in terms of the impact it had on Canadians,” Gradek said, noting a market with more competition would mean a smaller percentage of flights potentially impacted. The issue was felt most in smaller markets in Western Canada that might only be served by one airline, he said.
“What happened over the last 72 hours was really exposing the risk,” he said. “We need competition in Canada to make sure we have enough capacity … to be able to supplement any disruption caused by one carrier having a labour issue.”
Wayne Smith, a professor of hospitality and tourism management at Toronto Metropolitan University, sees that task as a severely uphill battle. It wasn’t easy to make the economics of an airline work, he said, especially when trying to serve some of Canada’s less travelled locations. “If you were to start a competitive major airline, (the cost) wouldn’t be in the millions, it would be in the billions,” Smith said. “It’s possible, but a lot of stars would have to align.”
In the meantime, he believes unions are even more wary of job security threats or contracted-out work given their limited alternate options for employment. “If you get laid off from WestJet, where are you going to go?”
The dominance of Canada’s two major airlines, WestJet and Air Canada, has seen increased scrutiny lately. In late May, the Competition Bureau of Canada said it will be launching a study of the domestic air travel industry — particularly given the concentrated power of Air Canada and WestJet, the challenges faced by newer airlines trying to break into the market, costs for passengers and the volume of grievances to the Canadian Transportation Agency rising from 7,650 new complaints in 2018-19 to 42,068 in 2022-23.
Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan also now appears to be taking closer scrutiny to the events leading up to the strike on Friday. Job action was initially believed to have been averted when O’Regan invoked his authority to send WestJet and its aircraft mechanics union into binding arbitration. But while many, including union representatives, expected the Canada Industrial Relations Board to prohibit strike activity in the meantime, the board issued an order on Friday that made clear that job action could still take place.
O’Regan raised an eyebrow at the decision, calling it “clearly inconsistent” with his earlier directive. Hours later, he clarified that he respected the board’s authority and independence. But on Monday, his office hinted at further action ahead.
“The Minister raised concerns during this process, particularly when it came to the issue of strike action continuing during arbitration,” Hartley Witten, a spokesperson for the minister’s office, told the Star, adding that O’Regan would have “more to say and more action he will be taking” in the days ahead.
Both Gradek and Smith believe the strike raises the question of how essential air travel is across Canada.
“Organized labour has not shied away from taking action to make sure its rights under the collective agreements that are currently in place are protected,” Gradek said, noting past strikes of pilots, flight attendants, ground service workers and more. After the weekend, he believes officials should be asking: is air travel a service worthy of more protection against job action?
“There is an argument for it because our economy is based on it,” Smith argued, noting the role commercial flights play in transporting cargo to less frequently travelled locations.
But Evershed, the union representative, argued travellers’ frustration shouldn’t be enough to strip away the airport workers’ right to strike in the future.
“You don’t have to look too far back — say, during the pandemic — to see who the true essential services are,” he said. “People want to go from Toronto to Vancouver on the long weekend — but they don’t necessarily need to.”
