WestJet strike deadline: 72 hours to avoid work stoppage during summer travel peak

WestJet and its flight attendants union have until just after midnight August 3, 2026, to reach a new contract before either side can begin a work stoppage that would halt service during one of the year's busiest travel weekends.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, representing 4,400 WestJet flight attendants, triggered the 72-hour countdown Friday. WestJet responded on the same timeline with its own lockout notice. The deadline falls during a holiday long weekend when many Canadians are expected to travel.

WestJet operates more than 600 flights per day and carries over 70,000 passengers on busy days. The airline has already begun allowing passengers booked between July 30 and August 4 to change or cancel tickets with no fees. Ticket holders notified of cancellations due to the strike are eligible for refunds.

The company has not disclosed how many flights it has proactively cancelled in anticipation of a shutdown, but airlines typically wind down schedules ahead of strike deadlines to avoid leaving planes and crews stranded away from their home bases. Industry experts say a shutdown would cost the carrier millions during the height of summer travel season.

CUPE and WestJet have been in talks over a new contract covering wages, benefits and working conditions for the flight attendants, the backbone of the airline's cabin crew operations.