WestJet and CUPE reached a tentative agreement at 4:15 a.m. MT on 3 August, ending the flight attendant strike without federal intervention. Around 925 flights were cancelled and some 250,000 passengers disrupted. Here is what the deal contains and what affected travellers should do now.
Cover image: WestJet Boeing 737 parked at an airport gate on a foggy night — photo by RAF-YYC from Calgary, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
WestJet and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) reached a tentative agreement at 4:15 a.m. Mountain Time on Monday 3 August 2026, ending a strike by the airline's roughly 4,400 mainline flight attendants after a little over a day on the picket line, Global News reported. The walkout, which began at 12:01 a.m. MT on Sunday 2 August, forced WestJet to ground its mainline schedule: according to figures compiled by trade outlet PAX News, the carrier cancelled around 925 flights between 1 and 4 August — including all 494 mainline departures on Sunday — disrupting an estimated 250,000 passengers.
Crucially, the deal was struck at the bargaining table with no federal back-to-work order and no referral to binding arbitration — a departure from Ottawa's interventions in recent airline disputes. The agreement now goes to a ratification vote of CUPE Local 8125 members within 30 days. Operations restarted progressively through Monday — departures from Toronto Pearson were still suspended on Monday morning — and by Tuesday 4 August WestJet was running a near-normal schedule, with just 16 of 446 flights cancelled.
What is in the WestJet–CUPE tentative agreement?
Neither side has published the full text, and CUPE says details will be shared with members before a ratification vote is held. The union has confirmed the deal introduces a duty period premium — pay attached to duty hours rather than only time in the air — which goes to the heart of the dispute over unpaid ground work.
CUPE 8125 president Alia Hussain said the agreement "represents meaningful progress" and "evolves the flight credit system by recognizing more of the work cabin crew are required to perform and with general increases to compensation for that work". Global News reported the package includes a 13 per cent wage increase effective 1 October, retroactive to 1 January 2026, followed by 2.5 per cent annual increases through 2029, with the duty pay premium described as worth around an additional 12 per cent of salary.
WestJet chief executive Alexis von Hoensbroech apologised for the disruption: "We know this disruption has been frustrating for our guests and WestJetters and we're sorry for that."
Why did WestJet flight attendants go on strike?
The core grievance was unpaid ground duty: under the legacy flight-credit model, cabin crew were largely paid only while the aircraft was in the air, not for boarding, safety checks or managing delays — work that has grown as delays have. As we reported when the walkout began, WestJet had already cancelled hundreds of flights and suspended most bookings ahead of the strike deadline after CUPE issued strike notice in late July and the airline responded with a lockout notice of its own.
When will WestJet flights return to normal?
WestJet restarted operations progressively through Monday as crews were repositioned, and says impacted guests "will be refunded or reaccommodated as applicable". PAX News reported no further strike-related cancellations were scheduled for 5–6 August, though knock-on delays persisted on Tuesday and some passengers remained stranded abroad, including in Iceland and Scotland.
| Date | Flights cancelled | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 2 Aug | 494 of 494 | Full mainline shutdown during strike |
| Mon 3 Aug | 305 of 494 | Deal reached 4:15 a.m. MT; phased restart through the day |
| Tue 4 Aug | 16 of 446 | Near-normal schedule, residual delays |
| Wed–Thu 5–6 Aug | 0 scheduled | No strike-related cancellations planned |
Cancellation figures as reported by PAX News, 4 August 2026. Total since 1 August: ~925 flights.
What should passengers with cancelled WestJet flights do now?
Whatever the compensation arguments, the rebooking and refund entitlements under Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) are not in dispute: per Global News' explainer, if WestJet cannot rebook you within nine hours it must place you on a competing airline, after 48 hours it may rebook you from a nearby airport, and you can take a full refund instead if you no longer wish to travel. Our guide to passenger rights when a strike cancels your flight walks through the process step by step.
- Use the fee waiver: WestJet's flexible change and cancellation policy covered travel booked between 30 July and 4 August, allowing a one-time change or cancellation with no fee.
- Claim expenses where eligible: meals and accommodation obligations depend on how the disruption is classified. Passenger-rights advocate Gábor Lukács told Global News that "if something is within the carrier's control, then cash compensation is owed, meals and accommodations are owed on top of any rebooking" — expect WestJet to contest that classification for a strike. See our explainer on flight delay compensation rules.
- Check your policy date: insurer Travel Guard treated the dispute as a "known event" from 14 July 2026, so policies bought after that date generally exclude strike-related losses — our travel insurance guide explains the known-event trap.
Did the federal government intervene this time?
No. The deal was reached without a back-to-work order or imposed arbitration, and Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said "the federal government and Canadians welcome the news that the parties have reached a deal together, at the bargaining table" — a marked contrast with the federal interventions that shaped recent Canadian airline disputes.
McGill University aviation management lecturer John Gradek told PAX News the episode still exposes a structural weakness in Canadian aviation — "in Canada, we let the whole system shut down" — and attention now turns to whether the roughly 4,400 members ratify the deal within the 30-day window.
Frequently asked questions
Is the WestJet strike officially over?
Yes. The strike ended when the tentative agreement was reached at 4:15 a.m. MT on 3 August 2026, and flight attendants returned to work. The deal must still be ratified by CUPE Local 8125 members within 30 days; the union says voting details will be shared with members before a date is set.
How many WestJet flights were cancelled because of the strike?
Around 925 flights were cancelled between 1 and 4 August, according to PAX News — including every one of the 494 mainline flights scheduled on Sunday 2 August. Media reports put the number of disrupted passengers at roughly 250,000.
Can I get a refund if my WestJet flight was cancelled?
Yes. Under the APPR you can choose a full refund instead of rebooking if the cancellation means your travel no longer serves its purpose. WestJet has said all impacted guests "will be refunded or reaccommodated as applicable".
Will the tentative deal definitely be ratified?
Not automatically — members must vote within 30 days, and CUPE has not yet announced a date. Air Canada flight attendants initially rejected a tentative deal in their 2025 dispute, so travel sellers are watching this vote closely; a rejection would send both sides back to the bargaining table.
Sources
- Global News — WestJet strike ends after tentative deal reached
- CUPE — WestJet mainline flight attendants reach tentative agreement
- PAX News — Strike over, but will WestJet's deal hold? Meanwhile, recovery gathers pace
- PAX News — WestJet and CUPE reach tentative agreement
- Global News — WestJet flight attendants on strike as company suspends most bookings
- Global News — As possible WestJet strike nears, here's how to navigate flight disruptions
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