CANADA VIBES NEWSROOM · EVENING EDITION — July 29, 2026, 7:00 p.m. ET

Update — July 29, 2026, 12:18 p.m. ET: With the strike deadline now just days away, WestJet and CUPE remain at the bargaining table, and as of Tuesday no 72-hour strike notice had been issued. The union has shared an operational wind-down memo with members outlining how flights in progress would be completed and crews returned home if a walkout begins. WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said the airline remains “steadfast” in seeking a deal that “keeps WestJet competitive and sustainable,” while CUPE Local 8125 says it’s “up to WestJet to make the meaningful progress needed to avoid a strike.” Passengers whose flights are cancelled ahead of a walkout are entitled to a free rebooking on any airline, according to the advocacy group Air Passenger Rights. (Sources: The Canadian Press, BNN Bloomberg)

Negotiations between WestJet and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 4,400 flight attendants, remain at an impasse as the mandatory 21-day cooling-off period nears its end around August 2.

On July 15, WestJet flight attendants voted 99.4% in favour of a strike mandate, with 97.3% turnout, a result the union calls historic.

CUPE says talks are stalled over wages, pay for ground duties — boarding, security screening, delays — and what the union calls an outdated “flight credit” system. It estimates the average flight attendant performs roughly 35 hours of unpaid work per month.

WestJet, for its part, has announced a flexible travel policy allowing customers flying between July 30 and August 4 to change their booking once free of charge, in anticipation of a possible service disruption.

A walkout at the Calgary-based carrier, the country’s second-largest airline, could force the cancellation of hundreds of flights and disrupt travel for tens of thousands of passengers during peak summer season.

What to watch

How negotiations evolve over the coming days, and whether the federal government intervenes if a work stoppage is triggered.

Sources

• La Presse
• Le Devoir
• Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
• Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA)