No sign of a breakthrough emerged in talks between WestJet and its pilots Wednesday, as the companyB次元官网网址檚 CEO deemed the unionB次元官网网址檚 expectations unrealistic while the Air Line Pilots Association slammed the airline for trying to B次元官网网址榩ublicly villainizeB次元官网网址� its workers.

WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said late Tuesday the two sides remained far apart on key sticking points B次元官网网址� especially wages B次元官网网址� as bargaining heats up and the clock ticks down on a strike deadline.

B次元官网网址淭he gap is still massive,B次元官网网址� von Hoensbroech said from the bargaining venue, a hotel north of Toronto. Neither the company nor the union provided a concrete update Wednesday on the state of negotiations.

More than 1,800 pilots at WestJet and its Swoop subsidiary are poised to potentially walk off the job as of 3 a.m. EDT on Friday after the union issued a strike notice Monday night.

The standoff has left thousands of passengers with travel plans for the May long weekend and beyond hanging in limbo.

In recognition of that uncertainty, the airline is offering refunds to passengers who cancel flights scheduled until May 21, and fee-free changes to bookings within the same period.

The potential strike has already created a drop in bookings for the airline, which hasnB次元官网网址檛 turned a profit since 2019, said von Hoensbroech.

B次元官网网址淲e have gone through three years of a pandemic that has left very deep scars,B次元官网网址� he said.

While the carrier is still recovering, its latest offer to the union would see wide-body plane captains earn $350,000 in total compensation annually by the end of the collective agreement term, according to a letter to flight crew from the company and obtained by The Canadian Press. Narrow-body captains would earn $300,000.

B次元官网网址淚mmediately upon the effective date, WestJet pilots would have had the highest narrow-body first officer and captain top-step wage rate in Canada,B次元官网网址� the Monday night letter states.

The union says the figures donB次元官网网址檛 tell the full story.

B次元官网网址淲estJet managementB次元官网网址檚 decision to selectively manipulate and cherry-pick salary numbers is an exercise in creative accounting practices that in no way reflect the actual reality of compensation for its pilots,B次元官网网址� said Bernard Lewall, who heads the Air Line Pilot AssociationB次元官网网址檚 WestJet contingent, in a statement.

B次元官网网址淲e encourage WestJet management to put their efforts into negotiating a contract, instead of trying to publicly villainize the very pilots who are fighting to be a part of the airlineB次元官网网址檚 future success and help the company recognize its own highly touted growth strategy.B次元官网网址�

The Air Canada Pilots Association said last week that flight crews are working at a B次元官网网址渟teep discountB次元官网网址� compared to their U.S. counterparts, a concern that Lewall has echoed following a 34 per cent pay hike over four years secured in March by Delta Air Lines pilots.

Von Hoensbroech concurred, but said the union nonetheless harbours B次元官网网址渆xtreme expectations.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭hey realized that pilots in the U.S. earn double what pilots earn in Canada, and they want to have this as well. And I think itB次元官网网址檚 pretty obvious to anyone that such an expectation of doubling wages is just not realistic.B次元官网网址�

Lewall has said pay, scheduling and job security remain the key areas of dispute B次元官网网址� another point on which the CEO agrees.

Some 340 pilots have left the carrier over the past year and a half B次元官网网址� mostly for other Canadian airlines, according to Lewall. But von Hoensbroech said WestJetB次元官网网址檚 mainline fleet has hired three times the number of pilots whoB次元官网网址檝e resigned.

He acknowledged that its regional segment, WestJet Encore, has lost plenty of workers, but noted that they are not part of the current bargaining.

In response to the strike notice, WestJet issued a lockout notice shortly before midnight Monday to maintain B次元官网网址渃ontrolB次元官网网址� over its planes, the CEO said. While job action can be limited and rotational, lockouts involve blanket application. Both could take effect Friday, but neither has to.

B次元官网网址淚f a strike hits us on short notice at a point where we donB次元官网网址檛 expect it, we may strand an airplane somewhere in the Caribbean B次元官网网址� in I donB次元官网网址檛 know where,B次元官网网址� von Hoensbroech said. B次元官网网址淭hen we are in trouble.B次元官网网址�

The CEO as well as WestJetB次元官网网址檚 chief operating officer and chief financial officer have all descended on a hotel near TorontoB次元官网网址檚 Pearson airport to try to hash out a deal with the union.

On Wednesday, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra encouraged the two sides to reach a resolution, noting Labour Minister Seamus OB次元官网网址橰egan and a mediator B次元官网网址� Peter Simpson, who heads the federal mediation service B次元官网网址� are on the ground.

B次元官网网址淚 do not want to put my finger on the scale,B次元官网网址� Alghabra told reporters in Ottawa. B次元官网网址淯ltimately the biggest obligation is to make sure that they deliver the service that they sold to customers.B次元官网网址�

In the event of a delay or cancellation, customers will be B次元官网网址渞efunded or re-accommodated, as applicable,B次元官网网址� the airline said Monday.

Regulations entitle passengers to a rebooking within 48 hours of a cancellation or three-hour-plus delay, according to the Canadian Transportation Agency.

If the airline canB次元官网网址檛 meet those obligations, the passenger can opt for a refund or alternate travel arrangements, free of charge, on B次元官网网址渁ny airline travelling on a reasonable route from the same airportB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� or from a nearby airport, and the carrier must B次元官网网址渢ransport you there,B次元官网网址� the agency website states.

Swoop competitor Flair Airlines seized on the uncertainty over upcoming trips, adding flights to its Vancouver-Calgary and Vancouver-Edmonton routes and cheekily encouraging travellers on its homepage, B次元官网网址渄onB次元官网网址檛 strike out your long weekend.B次元官网网址�

As negotiations ground on Wednesday, the Air Line Pilots Association approved a merger with the Air Canada Pilots AssociationB次元官网网址檚 4,500 members, bringing the countryB次元官网网址檚 two biggest flight crew labour groups under one roof.

The move means 95 per cent of professional Canadian pilots are represented by a single union, effective immediately, said Charlene Hudy, the Air Canada unionB次元官网网址檚 council chair, in a statement.

B次元官网网址淲ith the collective strength of over 73,000 pilots in North America, we look forward to working toward a better future for the piloting profession and aviation industry as a whole.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擟hristopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press

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