Plans up in the air as WestJet strike looms

With the possibility of a strike looming large, some WestJet travellers have to decide whether they’re going to sit tight or cut their potential losses.

The Air Line Pilots Association reported 91 per cent of its members voted in favour of strike action, which could happen as early as May 18.

Since then, WestJet has been responding to a slew of concerned customers on Twitter, and has promised refunds to travellers whose flights are affected by a labour dispute.

The pilots have agreed to keep flying over the May long weekend in good faith, but travellers who’ve booked flights after that still feel like their plans are up in the air.

Lesley Paull, owner and manager of Paull Travel in Edmonton, said that it all boils down to how desperate upcoming travellers are to get to where they need to go.

“If you absolutely have to, and it’s somebody’s wedding — and it’s your daughter — then you might want to cancel now and rebook,” Paull said. “If you’re just going for a weekend in Vancouver for holidays, you might want to wait.”

Since the vote results were announced, Paull said she’s received a lot of calls from customers asking about their options, which are to change or cancel their flights and incur a penalty, or to wait and see if a strike is announced, get the refund, and then rebook.

“It always comes down to the last minute,” she said.