WestJet's pilots open contract talks weeks after the airline's flight attendants walked out for 28 hours

The Air Line Pilots Association local representing WestJet's approximately 2,300 pilots formally notified the airline that it intends to open negotiations on a new labour contract, with the current agreement set to expire December 31, 2026. The move comes just weeks after WestJet's flight attendants staged a 28-hour strike in August 2026, which followed management's failure, in the union's telling, to reach terms that adequately valued cabin crew's contribution — the airline's second major labour disruption in three years, after a 2024 mechanics' strike. Pilot union chair Captain Jacob Astin framed the upcoming talks as a test of whether WestJet's management has absorbed the lesson from that recent dispute: "we are taking these upcoming negotiations seriously and expect WestJet management to do the same. We also expect them to have learned from their recent mistakes at the bargaining table." The pattern fits a broader run of Canadian aviation labour disruption — travellers and travel advisors have now been through three consecutive summers of significant airline disruptions, including strike action at both WestJet and Air Canada, prompting renewed calls from industry commentators for reform to Canada's labour code to build in preventive steps before a strike is reached rather than after.