Ottawa passengers hoping to catch a WestJet flight this week should brace for more delays. Most WestJet flights connected to the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport remained cancelled on Monday, even after the airline and its flight attendants' union announced early in the morning that they had reached a tentative contract agreement.
What happened
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents WestJet's cabin crew, said it reached a tentative deal with the airline in the early hours of Aug. 3. The agreement is meant to end a labour dispute that had already thrown WestJet's national flight schedule into chaos, with cancellations stacking up at airports across the country.
But a tentative deal doesn't mean an instant fix. Airlines typically need days, not hours, to safely rebuild a flight schedule after a strike or labour disruption — crews, aircraft, and gates all have to be repositioned before things run smoothly again. That's exactly what's playing out at Ottawa's airport, where travellers checking departure boards Monday were still met with a long list of cancelled WestJet flights.
The Ottawa angle
For Ottawa residents, this has meant days of headaches at YOW — rebooked flights, long customer service lines, and uncertainty for anyone with travel plans this week, whether it's a business trip, a family vacation, or a flight to see loved ones. WestJet operates a meaningful share of flights in and out of the capital, so disruptions here have been felt just as sharply as in bigger hubs like Toronto or Calgary.
Ottawa-based travellers with upcoming WestJet bookings are being advised to check their flight status directly through the WestJet app or website before heading to the airport, since schedules are still being rebuilt and cancellations could continue in the near term. Travel advisors in the city have also flagged that rebooking wait times remain long, so patience — and a backup plan — is the name of the game for now.
What's next
With a tentative agreement in hand, the union and the airline still need to finalize details, and WestJet will be working to ramp flight operations back up across its network, Ottawa included. There's no firm timeline yet for when the airport's WestJet schedule will be fully back to normal, but the tentative deal is at least a sign the worst of the disruption may be behind travellers.
Ottawa residents flying WestJet in the coming days should keep an eye on their airline notifications and arrive at the airport with extra time built in, just in case.
Source: Ottawa Citizen
