TORONTO — Canadians booked to fly with WestJet over the August long weekend are being reminded to review their travel insurance carefully, as policies purchased after the airline’s flight attendants announced a potential strike may not cover disruptions related to the labour dispute.
As reported by CBC News, travel insurance providers may now consider a potential strike beginning Aug. 2 to be a “known event,” meaning certain trip cancellation or interruption benefits may no longer apply to newly purchased policies.
The warning comes after members of CUPE Local 8125, which represents WestJet’s mainline flight attendants, voted 99.4% in favour of strike action. The union has indicated a strike could begin as early as the August long weekend if a new agreement isn’t reached.
A memo sent by Manulife to travel advisors reportedly advised that benefits “related to this potential strike would not apply.”
Martin Firestone, president of Toronto-based Travel Secure, told CBC that policies purchased now can still provide protection for covered events such as illness or death, depending on the terms of the policy. However, he said strike-related flight disruptions are another matter.
“What won’t be covered is that you couldn’t get there because WestJet’s flight attendants went on strike,” he said.
Firestone also urged travellers to consider insurance that protects the entire trip, not just the cost of a flight.
He said trip cancellation and interruption coverage can be especially valuable when travellers have prepaid for cruises, tours or other non-refundable travel arrangements that could be missed because of a delayed or cancelled flight.
IF YOU’RE ALREADY BOOKED
For travellers already holding WestJet tickets, experts say the airline remains responsible for either rebooking passengers or issuing refunds if flights are cancelled because of a strike.
“If you already have a trip booked with WestJet, it’s the airline’s obligation to rebook you or refund your money if they can’t operate that flight,” Alberta Motor Association travel expert Nikola Berube told CBC.
However, she cautioned that alternative flights may not match passengers’ original itineraries or preferred travel times.
Berube also noted that some travellers purchase “cancel for any reason” insurance, which may include strike-related situations. However, these policies typically reimburse only a portion of eligible trip costs and are generally purchased well before a disruption becomes foreseeable.
NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE
Despite the strike authorization vote, both WestJet and CUPE have emphasized that negotiations are ongoing.
WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said earlier this week that a strike vote is a common step during collective bargaining and “does not mean a strike will occur.”
CUPE has also stressed that its goal remains reaching a negotiated settlement.
“The last thing we want to do is go on strike. That’s the absolute last thing we want to do,” said Alia Hussain, president of CUPE Local 8125 and a WestJet flight attendant.
Following the required cooling-off period, the union is required to provide 72 hours’ notice before any strike or lockout could begin, meaning the earliest possible job action could occur on Aug. 2.
WestJet’s labour dispute echoes that of Air Canada’s in August 2025, during which its flights attendants served a strike notice that prompted the airline to suspend hundreds of flights over several days. Travelweek reached out to travel insurance experts at the time to determine what is and what’s not included with travel insurance. To read that article, click here.
