WestJet plans to limit the impact of Air Canada's labour dispute on Canadian travellers by adding larger aircraft onto key routes, a spokesperson says.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Canadian airlines are scrambling to respond to a rush of last-minute bookings and calls from customers whose travel plans are suddenly upended as Air Canada AC-T cancels thousands of flights ahead of a possible strike.
Its rivals, including WestJet and Air Transat, said they are working to make schedule adjustments and add inventory to accommodate customers seeking solutions for their travel disruptions.
But many of the airlines The Globe and Mail spoke with said there are limits to what they can do for customers looking for new flights, given that routes are mostly fully booked in these peak summer travel months.
More than 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge could walk off the job starting Saturday, as talks between the airline and the Air Canada Component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees have stalled. Air Canada began grounding hundreds of flights Friday and plans to cancel 1,000 flights Saturday. The carrier expects this will affect about 130,000 customers a day.
WestJet plans to limit the impact on Canadian travellers facing disruptions by adding larger aircraft onto key routes, Josh Yeats, the airline’s media and public relations strategist, said in an e-mailed statement. The Calgary-headquartered airline is also working with airport partners, pilots and cabin crew to add a limited number of extra flights to help accommodate guests, Mr. Yeats wrote.
Air Transat has seen an increase in bookings and calls to its contact centre since the strike announcement, Marie-Christine Pouliot, public relations manager at Transat AT Inc., said in an e-mailed statement. She said that while aircraft availability is limited during the peak summer travel period, the airline is evaluating minor schedule adjustments where possible.
“Air Canada has contacted us regarding re-protection of some travellers through our existing irregular operations agreement, and we will accommodate these passengers in line with that arrangement and subject to availability,” she said.
At Flair Airlines, there has been an uptick in last-minute bookings and the company has added overnight flights to assist more customers, said Eric Tanner, vice-president of commercial operations. “Strikes are not fun for any airline, and we’re just doing our best to show up for customers who may be stranded,” he said.
Air Canada flight cancellations costing travellers more than ticket prices as strike looms
Flair has seen prices for its flights increase as demand ticks upward. “It’s all about supply and demand, that’s why we’re moving as aggressively as we can to add extra flights where we have aircraft and crew so that we can offer more seats to more customers, because we know that there’s quite a bit of demand to get around the country,” Mr. Tanner said.
He also mentioned that Flair has observed a surge of visits to its website and calls from customers attempting to get to their vacation destinations on time. But while the airline said it is doing its best to respond to demand, “we already are probably the highest load factor airline in the country, and so our inventory is quite limited.”
Porter Airlines will continue with normal pricing for last-minute bookings by charging what it normally would for booking close to the departure date, said Robyn van Teunenbroek, senior manager, communications and team engagement.
United Airlines said it would step in to help passengers who might be stranded at various airports in cities across Canada. According to its travel alerts page, United Airlines will waive fees and fare differences for rebooked flights with the airline that depart between Aug. 12 and 27. The flights must be between the same cities as the original tickets.
If the work stoppage occurs as planned, it could take about a week for Air Canada to fully resume operations, according to airline officials.
With reports from Dayne Patterson
Air Canada expects to cancel the majority of its estimated 700 daily flights on Friday, ahead of a planned Saturday strike by unionized flight attendants.
Reuters