Local travel agent says if WestJet pilots go on strike, the airline will likely issue credits to affected passengers

Update May 10, 2018: WestJet pilots vote in favour of strike action

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Are you flying with WestJet in the coming weeks? Pilots are holding a strike vote, which could lead to a work stoppage in as soon as 10 days.

NEWS 1130 requested an interview with WestJet, but that request was declined.

However, a local travel agent is advising her customers to closely follow the news for the latest updates if they’ve already bought their tickets.

.@WestJet #Pilots held an informational picket in front of @WestJet HQ to show management that the 1500 #Union Pilots stand together and say #TimeIsRunningOut for a new contract pic.twitter.com/ADNmPJZ6zw — WestJet ALPA Pilots (@WestJetALPA) May 8, 2018

Isabella Beane with Maritime Travel in Port Moody says in these situations, airlines often issue credit in the case of cancelled flights.

“I would expect that the airline would give them a credit. But that doesn’t always help people, if they’ve got to be somewhere. We have to make alternate arrangements for people, and then we would take care looking after any refunds that might be applicable after the fact.”

“What we’re doing in the agency is we’re monitoring anybody we’ve got scheduled to be travelling in the next few weeks and just keeping an eye on the news. We’re letting our clients know that they should be monitoring their emails, because we will be in touch with them if their flights are actually cancelled,” adds Beane.

Claire Newell with Travel Best Bets points out a strike would affect a lot of people.

“I know that there will be a lot of business travellers who need to be at meetings. And there will be people who have scheduled off vacation — potentially, months in advance — who really want to make sure that they get out on the dates that they have booked.”

We asked Air Canada if it has noticed an increase in bookings due to this uncertainty. It says it’s too early to tell.

However, the company says it’s ready to adjust schedules and routes to limit disruptions for travellers if there is a labour disruption at WestJet.