CALGARY — The union representing 4,400 flight attendants at WestJet has issued its 72-hour strike notice – and WestJet has issued a lockout notification.

In a statement, WestJet said the 72-hour strike notice and the lockout notification “do not immediately impact operations or mean that a labour disruption will occur. WestJet and CUPE are still actively negotiating to reach an agreement, avoiding impact to our guests.”

However CUPE says the two sides remain far apart on key issues.

“We have been clear about what needs to change, and we have worked hard to reach a fair deal,” Alia Hussain, chair of the union’s WestJet contingent.

“There’s still time to avoid a strike,” Hussain added. “We will continue to bargain around the clock until this is resolved.”

If an agreement is not reached, a work stoppage could occur as early as Sunday, Aug. 2 at 00:01 MT. 

WestJet Group’s CEO, Alexis von Hoensbroech, said the decision to issue a lockout notice, in response to the actions taken by the union, “was not one that was made lightly. We sincerely regret the inconvenience and uncertainty this continues to cause for our guests. We greatly value the work and contributions of our Cabin Crew, and it is our responsibility to ensure the integrity of our network and to minimize the risk of stranding our guests, crew and aircraft.”

He said WestJet’s commitment remains at the bargaining table, “where we will continue to work around the clock to come to an agreement that provides value and meaningful improvements for our Cabin Crew and is sustainable for our company.”

In the coming days, WestJet will take all necessary actions to manage the potential impacts as much as possible, including…

. Managing changes and cancellations, to ensure the ability to communicate with guests in advance of changes.

. Continue to offer Flexible Change/Cancel policies for those passengers with travel bookings between July 30, 2026, and August 4, 2026, who wish to make alternate arrangements

Unless a tentative agreement is reached, some flights could start to be grounded by tomorrow, Friday July 31.

WestJet operates more than 600 flights per day, carrying more than 70,000 passengers on some days.

Travellers booked on its regional WestJet Encore service or codeshare flights run by an airline partner such as Delta will not be affected by a strike.

WestJet said that should flight delays or cancellations occur, impacted passengers will be refunded or reaccommodated, as applicable. Passengers who booked directly with WestJet will be directly communicated via the email address provided at the time of booking for any changes to their travel. Passengers who booked through a travel advisor or online booking agency are asked to contact those third-parties directly.

Earlier the two sides inked a wind-down agreement that lays out how to ground planes and get cabin crew home in the event of a work stoppage.

Aviation industry expert John Gradek shared his take on the wind-down agreement with Travelweek. 

“All’s fair in negotiations … down to the last minute, these tactics are used to pressure a party to back down from their position and accept an agreement,” said Gradek.

The union has said key issues include unpaid work for tasks such as ground duties, while WestJet has said all duties are compensated through a “credit hour” system rather than an hourly rate.

On its site WestJet notes: “WestJet cabin crew are paid using a credit hour system, which is the standard pay model for cabin crew across North America. Block hours start when the aircraft leaves the gate and end when it arrives at the gate. We’ve heard clearly that many of our crew feel this system requires improvements. We also know their current compensation requires adjustments in the context of inflation, and we take that seriously. We’re prepared to make meaningful improvements in both regards. We are in active, constructive talks with the union and are confident an agreement can be reached.”

More flight information is at WestJet’s Travel Advisory page and westjet.com/cabincrew has the latest updates on bargaining.

With file from The Canadian Press