WestJet has announced that WestJet Cabin Crew Members, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), have successfully ratified their first five-year agreement.

This ratified agreement is in place retroactively from March 1, 2021, through to and including December 31, 2025.

“We are pleased that we were able to achieve our first collective agreement with CUPE,” said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. “The resulting agreement is a reflection of the interest-based bargaining required to achieve this positive outcome and it is a strong example of how we can work together, respectfully with dedication and professionalism, to benefit our employees and our guests during these challenging times.

Photo: Adrian Edwards.

The time invested in the negotiations by both parties, leading up to ratification, was necessary to work through the many complex terms and conditions.

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WestJet has announced that a tentative agreement had been reached with CUPE Local 4070, representation for the WestJet Inflight (Cabin Crew) group. Both parties now await the ratification vote to be put forward to membership.

“I am pleased that we’ve tentatively come to terms on the first collective agreement with CUPE Local 4070,” said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. “Our Cabin Crew Members are a valued and integral part of the WestJet team and it is our goal to continue supporting them as they continue the safe, caring service our guests expect of WestJet.”

WestJet launched in 1996 with three aircraft, 250 employees and five destinations, growing over the years to more than 180 aircraft, 14,000 employees and more than 100 destinations in 23 countries, pre-pandemic.

In other news, WestJet has begun operating our first cargo-only flights between Toronto (YYZ) and London-Gatwick (LGW) twice weekly on our 787 Dreamliners. WestJet’s Cargo team continues to work around the clock as part of our commitment to keeping vital supply chains open across borders.

WestJet aircraft photo gallery:

WestJet aircraft slide show:

WestJet announced today it will temporarily suspend operations to St. John’s, N.L., London, Ontario, and Lloydminster and Medicine Hat, Alberta, as of March 19, until June 24, 2021.

With today’s announcement, flights between St. John’s and Halifax will be suspended as of March 21, while service between London, Ontario, and Toronto will cease on March 22. WestJet Link service from Calgary to Lloydminster will end on March 19, and Calgary to Medicine Hat discontinued as of March 21.

In June 2020, WestJet announced organizational changes through its airport transformation program. As a result of the suspensions, WestJet will be working with newly established third-party service providers in St. John’s and London, Ont., and directly with Pacific Coastal Airlines for affected WestJet Link operations in Lloydminster and Medicine Hat.

WestJet continues to operate at more than a 90 percent reduction year over year. Guests impacted will be contacted directly regarding their options for travel to and from the regions. Service is set to resume to all communities as of June 24, 2021.

Temporary Route Suspensions:

WestJet aircraft photo gallery:

WestJet aircraft slide show:

WestJet issued this statement:

Government ignores advice of its own Competition Bureau in Air Canada takeover of Transat.

The government of Canada on Thursday evening approved the purchase of Transat by Air Canada, without significant remedies.

“This decision shows blatant disregard for all Canadians who believe in healthy competition,” said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. “When Canadians look to explore the world and reunite with family and friends once again, they will face fewer choices and higher fares.”

The government’s own Competition Bureau stated in regards to the proposed purchase, “Eliminating the rivalry between these airlines would result in increased prices, less choice, decreases in service and a significant reduction in travel by Canadians on a variety of routes where their existing networks overlap.”

“It is hard to imagine a deal as anti-competitive in any industry where the number one player buys number three without meaningful remedies,” continued Mr. Sims. “This is a serious setback to Canada’s economy. The Competition Bureau themselves described such cosmetic remedies as inadequate. Canadians should be profoundly disappointed.”

The WestJet Group today announced it would temporarily cease international flying to 14 sun destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean in response to a request from the Government of Canada.

“The government asked, and we agreed,” said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. “While we know that air travel is responsible for less than two per cent of cases since the start of the crisis, and even less today, we recognize the Government of Canada’s ask is a precautionary measure. We also note that the overwhelming majority of quarantine exemptions, well over 90 per cent in fact, are connected to land borders and not air travel. We have responded to their request and will suspend service to destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean.”

Effective Sunday, January 31 at 12:01 a.m. ET, WestJet will suspend southbound operations to the following destinations until April 30. Over the subsequent two weeks, WestJet will work to bring our guests already in destination back to Canada.

Vancouver – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Vancouver – Cancun, Mexico
Vancouver – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Calgary – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Calgary – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Calgary – Cancun, Mexico,
Calgary – Liberia, Costa Rica
Edmonton – Cancun, Mexico
Edmonton – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Toronto – Cancun, Mexico
Toronto – Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Toronto – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Toronto – Kingston, Jamaica
Toronto – Montego Bay, Jamaica
Toronto – Liberia, Costa Rica
Toronto – Varadero, Cuba
Toronto – Saint Lucia
Toronto – Saint Marten
Toronto – Nassau, Bahamas
Toronto – Bermuda
Edmonton – Mazatlan, Mexico (Swoop)
Edmonton – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (Swoop)
Toronto – Montego Bay, Jamaica (Swoop)
Toronto – Cancun, Mexico (Swoop)

Through its Safety Above All program, the WestJet Group has implemented extensive safety measures since the start of the pandemic and as a result, there have been no documented cases of person-to-person transmission onboard the airline’s flights.

“The pandemic has had devastating impacts on our hard-working people, and they have made tremendous sacrifices throughout,” continued Sims. “The government recognizes how uniquely hard hit our industry has been and has acknowledged our efforts to curb the spread of the virus. We note their words of support for our airline as a strong partner in the fight against COVID-19.”

For guests with travel booked during the impacted period, WestJet will proactively notify them of their options.

WestJet today returned the first of its 737 MAX aircraft to passenger service with the departure of WS115 from Calgary to Vancouver. With the second 737 MAX flight, WS122, from Vancouver to Calgary departing at noon PT.

On board the first flight were 71 guests including Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO, Chris Burley, WestJet Board Chair and Chris Rauenbusch, President, CUPE Local 4070 and a member of WestJet’s Inflight team. The aircraft was piloted by Captain David Colquhoun, WestJet Master Executive Council Chair, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and Captain Scott Wilson, Vice President WestJet Operations.

“The return of WestJet’s MAX aircraft to the fleet marks an operational milestone after 22 months of intense review,” said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. “WestJet’s preparation, training processes, due diligence and safety above all philosophy drives our confidence in welcoming guests on board our MAX aircraft.”

Captain David Colquhoun, WestJet Master Executive Council Chair, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said, “For nearly two years, ALPA has been working tirelessly with Transport Canada, international regulators, and airline management on reviewing the MAX and the revised pilot training requirements needed to safely return this aircraft to service. No one knows better than airline pilots what is needed to be adequately prepared and trained to manage the handling qualities of this renewed aircraft. Today, as we usher the safe return of the MAX in Canada, ALPA will continue to provide its expertise and voice of safety in future discussions.”

“I was proud to operate the MAX aircraft today on its first commercial flight since the Canadian skies reopened,” said Captain Scott Wilson, WestJet Vice President Operations. “I am confident with the changes made to the aircraft and our training procedures, our MAX is one of the safest aircraft in the skies.”

Chris Rauenbusch, President CUPE Local 4070 said, “CUPE Local 4070, the union representing WestJet cabin crew members, has full confidence in the return of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to the workplace of our membership. Union representatives participated in a full technical briefing at Boeing facilities in Seattle, WA and following further data from Transport Canada, Boeing and WestJet, the union is confident that this aircraft type is safe for our cabin crew and our guests.”

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WestJet has made this announcement:

WestJet’s first Boeing 737 MAX flight following the opening of the skies will operate with the departure of WS155 from Calgary (YYC) to Vancouver (YVR) on January 21, 2021.

Starting on January 22, 2021 the MAX will operate three-times weekly as announced, between Calgary (YYC) and Toronto (YYZ).

Additional return to service details are available here.

WestJet’s 737 MAX: Behind the Scenes (from WestJet Blog):

With our 737 MAX aircraft returning to service, we wanted to give you the opportunity to see what’s been going on behind the scenes, so you can have the same level of confidence in the MAX that we do.

Meet two team members who led the efforts and discover the incredible preparation and care that’s gone into ensuring safety above all aboard our 737 MAX aircraft.

As Director of Line Maintenance at WestJet, John Romane and his team of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, oversee maintenance of all the aircraft in our fleet. This included making the necessary updates to the MAX that Boeing and Transport Canada identified. While both Boeing and Transport Canada were on-site to oversee the initial modifications, doing the updates in-house gave John and his team full visibility to ensure the work also met our WestJet standards.

John Romane, Director of Line Maintenance

“Our maintenance teams will dedicate 2,000 work hours to each of our 737 MAX aircraft, implementing and testing the updates prior to them returning to service.”

-John Romane, Director of Line Maintenance

In addition to making these updates to our 737 MAX aircraft, our Chief Pilot 737, Jimmy-Dean Porter worked hand-in-hand with Boeing and Transport Canada to create a comprehensive training program for WestJet’s 737 pilots. The program includes MAX-specific simulator training, as well as extensive briefings, training modules and evaluations.

“I have complete confidence in our MAX aircraft. I have no hesitancy putting my family on board, with any of our WestJet pilots.” –Jimmy-Dean Porter, Chief Pilot 737

We are also conducting validation flights with every MAX aircraft in our fleet to make sure it performs as intended prior to returning to commercial service.

To learn more about John and Jimmy-Dean’s roles in safely returning of our 737 MAX aircraft to service, watch our behind-the-scenes video.

WestJet issued this statement:

WestJet today announced further cuts to its schedule as the airline continues to face volatile demand and instability in the face of continuing federal government travel advisories and restrictions.

As a result of the reduction in capacity, the equivalent of 1,000 employees across the WestJet Group of Companies will be impacted through a combination of furloughs, temporary layoffs, unpaid leaves and reduced hours. There will also be a hiring freeze implemented.

“Immediately following the federal government’s inbound testing announcement on December 31, and with the continuation of the 14-day quarantine, we saw significant reductions in new bookings and unprecedented cancellations,” said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. “The entire travel industry and its customers are again on the receiving end of incoherent and inconsistent government policy. We have advocated over the past 10 months for a coordinated testing regime on Canadian soil, but this hasty new measure is causing Canadian travellers unnecessary stress and confusion and may make travel unaffordable, unfeasible and inaccessible for Canadians for years to come.”

“Regrettably, this new policy leaves us with no other option but to again place a large number of our employees on leave, while impacting the pay of others,” continued Sims. “This is a cruel outcome for loyal and hardworking staff who have been diligently working through the pandemic.”

With today’s announcement the airline will remove approximately 30 percent of its currently planned February and March capacity from the schedule, a more than 80 percent reduction year over year. In addition, the airline will reduce domestic frequencies by 160 departures as frequently evolving advisories, travel restrictions and guidance continue to negatively impact demand trends. Any impacted guests will be contacted directly.

Network impact by the numbers:

• With the planned reductions, WestJet will operate at a more than 80 percent reduction year over year.
• Specific to international markets, capacity will be down 93 percent year over year where the airline will be operating only five daily flights compared to 100 last year
• Elimination of more than 230 weekly departures (including 160 domestic) and removal of more than 30 percent of capacity versus prior months.
• Suspension of 11 routes (Edmonton-Cancun, Edmonton- Puerto Vallarta, Edmonton-Phoenix, Vancouver-Cancun, Vancouver-Phoenix, Vancouver-Puerto Vallarta, Vancouver-Cabo, Vancouver-Los Angeles, Vancouver-Palm Springs, Calgary-Las Vegas, Calgary-Orlando).
• Seasonal suspension of 13 international and transborder destinations (Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Huatulco, Ixtapa, London (Gatwick), Mazatlán, Nassau (Bahamas), Port of Spain, San Jose (Costa Rica), Tampa, and Turks and Caicos.
• The airline will operate approximately 150 daily departures, returning to levels not seen since June 2001.

WestJet today announced its intent to return its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to passenger service in a phased and transparent approach. The airline’s plans follow an announcement from Transport Canada (TC) on December 17, 2020 where TC safety experts validated the aircraft design changes and outlined requirements for Canadian carriers.

Transport Canada’s validation followed that of the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) on November 18, 2020.

“As we continue working with Transport Canada on the additional Canadian requirements, our first MAX will be ready to return safely to service as of January 21,” said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. “While we don’t have final confirmation on when TC will open Canadian airspace to the 737 MAX aircraft, in the interest of transparency we are sharing our intent to fly once this confirmation is received.”

“The FAA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and numerous other regulatory bodies around the world have spent more than a year examining the MAX aircraft to provide recommended changes to software, pilot training and maintenance requirements. We are confident with the changes they have mandated,” continued Sims. “In particular, the deliberate, detailed and independent scrutiny applied by Transport Canada’s National Aircraft Certification team, which prescribed additional requirements to pilot procedures and training, provides further confidence in the aircraft and its safe return.”

WestJet will take a phased approach to re-entry for its MAX aircraft beginning with non-commercial test flights that are anticipated to start in mid January. On January 21, pending Transport Canada’s reopening of the Canadian airspace to commercial flights for the 737 MAX, the airline plans to operate three roundtrip flights, per week, between Calgary and Toronto. The schedule will remain in place for four weeks, while evaluating further routes and additional frequencies. WestJet currently operates six daily flights between the two cities.

“We are dedicated to restoring guest confidence in this aircraft through our safe operation, while providing the transparency and the flexibility that some of our guests may still require,” concluded Sims. “We will be forthcoming with our guests on where the MAX aircraft are flying, and we will be flexible with our change and cancel policy to ensure our guests can make their travel plans confidently.”