WestJet, pilots avert strike with 11th-hour deal

WestJet and its pilots' union reached a last-minute deal late Thursday (May 18), averting a strike ahead of the May long weekend, but hundreds of the carrier's Friday flights were cancelled.

WestJet and its pilots' union reached a last-minute deal late Thursday (May 18), averting a strike ahead of the May long weekend, but hundreds of the carrier's Friday flights were cancelled.

As of Friday morning, the carrier had cancelled 107 flights, or 29 per cent of those scheduled for the day, according to tracking service FlightAware. The vast majority were out of Calgary or Toronto, with affected routes ranging from London to Las Vegas, Phoenix and Saskatoon.

The company said it's now ramping up operations "as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, the full resumption of operations will take time."

Passengers are advised to continue to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport. The airline had already cancelled about one-third of its flight load Thursday as negotiations with its pilots' union went down to the wire.