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By Caden Fanshaw

WestJet Strike

Travellers scramble as Westjet strike looms, YXS expected to have ‘minimal’ impacts

May 18, 2023 | 3:59 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – As many prepare to go airborne for May Long Weekend it comes with an extra layer of stress.

Negotiations continue between Westjet and the union representing over 1,800 pilots as of Thursday afternoon although several flights have already been cancelled as a result of impending job action expected to begin Friday.

Prince George travellers should feel minimal impacts from the job action according to Gordon Duke, CEO of the Prince George Airport (YXS).

“Those pilots that operate what is called WestJet Encore are a different bargaining unit,” said Duke. “So we’re not seeing any schedule changes there. However, if you’re connecting onward in Vancouver, Calgary, there’s a chance that those flights may be impacted. So I just really stress for folks to check before they come out and we’ll try to help them however we can.”

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Flights including the most popular Vancouver to Prince George route are all under the Westjet Encore banner.

Some travellers with connections were rebooked onto other airlines on Thursday, although others were not so lucky.

Shawn Clarke who was planning to fly across the country from Prince George to Toronto had his trip cancelled as the connection was grounded due to job action. Clarke said instead he was forced to spend an extra $2k to cover a short-notice flight to help his mother move out of her Ontario home.

The advice to travellers headed anywhere via airplane within the next few days is to check on your trip before you come to the airport to avoid any unexpected interruptions.

Duke said historically speaking, job action such as a mass pilot strike does not tend to drag on as it costs the airline and airports thousands in lost revenue.

On Thursday morning, Calgary-based WestJet said in a statement it had begun to cancel flights along its network “to minimize the potential for being stranded.”