The strike by WestJet flight attendants has ended after a tentative agreement was reached overnight.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local 8125 and WestJet announced they reached a tentative agreement early Monday morning at 4:15 a.m. Mountain time.
“This tentative agreement represents meaningful progress on the issues we brought to the table,” said CUPE local 8125 president Alia Hussain in a news conference Monday. “It improves on the long-standing flight credit system by recognizing more of the work that cabin crew are required to perform and increasing the compensation for that work.”
Hussain said it’s not the end of the process and the union will be putting together presentations to take to membership. The agreement will need to be ratified within 30 days.
“We wouldn’t bring a deal to our membership if we didn’t believe that the puzzle pieces, in the way that they would come together, would be something that they would ratify,” she said.
She added that WestJet’s most recent offer, which was put forward late Saturday night ahead of the strike, had “evolved” in a way that “made sense” to bring to members.
“We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that reflects the hard work and professionalism our cabin crew,” said WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech.
The dispute centred largely on compensation for work performed on the ground, including boarding passengers, completing safety checks and managing delays.
Neither side outlined details of the agreement, but the company on Sunday released details of the offer it said it had put forward in those last-minute talks late Saturday.
It included a 13 per cent pay increase effective Oct. 1 and retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026. This would be followed by 2.5 per cent increases annually to 2029.
The offer also included what it called a “duty pay premium.” The airline defined this as a payment for all duty hours, “additional pay for all hours worked designed to solve the union’s claim of unpaid work,” which it claims is equivalent to another 12 per cent salary increase.
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A CUPE spokesperson declined to detail exactly how the tentative agreement differs from the earlier offer when asked by Global News, instead pointing to Hussain’s comments at Monday’s news conference.
Global News has asked WestJet to provide details on the agreement.
WestJet declined to comment on details of the tentative agreement, which it said was “customary” while it waited for the deal to be ratified.
But the company said during the ratification period, a strike or lockout is not possible and encouraged travellers to plan, book and travel with the airline “with confidence.”
Asked if the tentative offer the company presented addresses the wage gap between WestJet members and flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Transat, Hussain said it does but did not elaborate.
CUPE members went on strike just after midnight Mountain Time Sunday when last-minute talks failed.
Earlier this week, the union issued strike notice with the earliest a strike could take place set for Sunday. The company, in response, issued lockout notice.
WestJet began winding down jet flights on Saturday and suspended all of its 737 and 787 flights on Sunday. According to the company, the suspension was to last at least until Aug. 6, though the grounding could be extended.
Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu hailed the settlement in a statement Monday.
“The federal government and Canadians welcome the news that the parties have reached a deal together, at the bargaining table,” she said in a post on X.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce applauded the deal, saying it was welcome news for travellers.
“It will take time for WestJet’s network to fully resume operations, but this is welcome news for stranded travellers, businesses, communities, and those relying on the movement of time-sensitive goods,” said Pascal Chan, the chamber’s vice-president of strategic policy and supply chains.
He went on to say the chamber was pleased the deal was reached before the disruption caused “greater harm,” but a stronger labour relations framework is needed.
Flights aren’t expected take off immediately, even with the strike over.
“We know this disruption has been frustrating for our guests and WestJetters and we’re sorry for that,” said von Hoensbroech in the Monday statement. “Our teams are working hard to restore service and get our guests on their way to their destinations as quickly as possible and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we get back to normal.”
Ian Lee, a professor of management at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, said there’s a process before the airline can resume a full schedule.
“It’s very, very disruptive because they incur all kinds of costs,” he told Global News. “When the strike ends, people don’t send the plane back out on the runway.”
He noted the airline is subject to “elaborate” safety rules and regulations, including rechecking every plane and its parts.
While several flights across the country remained cancelled Monday, some were starting to return to the sky, according to WestJet.
“Flights have begun to operate, however, the impacts of the disruption continue as the airline works to restore its network,” a spokesperson for Sunwing and WestJet Media said in an email.
WestJet said when the strike began that its Encore flights would continue to operate.
While the strike is over, the union will still need to take the tentative agreement to its members to be voted on. The union said members should refer to their email for more details.
—with a file from Global News’ Sean Boynton
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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