90 percent of WestJet pilots have voted to strike if their demands of increasing wages to industry standards and decreasing job outsourcing aren’t met.
Negotiations between WestJet and the Airline Pilots Association are currently taking place in Calgary, but it’s unclear how close the two sides are to making a deal.
The airline has said it'll refund anyone whose flight is cancelled if a strike happens, but many customers, including some at Kelowna International Airport, are concerned that a strike could leave more people stranded.
“We were really afraid coming (to Kelowna), because they were saying that the strike might start on the 19th, so we didn’t know if we would get home,” says one WestJet customer visiting from Toronto. “It’s very uncertain, and we don’t want to risk it.”
Some, on the other hand, are not so concerned, and actually support a potential strike.
“It wouldn’t affect my travel plans, but I think that the pilots have a right to try and get what they really deserve.” says another passenger travelling from Kelowna to Calgary.
In a brief statement, YLW officials said that they have never dealt with a worker strike or walkout before, and that day-to-day operations at the airport should continue as normal.
WestJet tweeted that it is currently negotiating with the workers' union and is confident that an agreement will be reached soon.