Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[nik-]

Can't wait for the huge raise, the subsequent match for AC pilots and the absolutely comical prices we'll be paying for flights.

[undercoverbrother]

This website might see some traffic

https://airpassengerrights.ca/en/

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by nik-

Can't wait for the huge raise, the subsequent match for AC pilots and the absolutely comical prices we'll be paying for flights.

The pilots salaries shouldn’t have that big of an impact when amortized over the number of passengers they move per year, but I am sure WJ and AC will use the pilots salaries as a justification for jacking prices. They probably already have a press releases to that effect.

[DiracSpike]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

How much do airline pilots actually get paid nowadays?

I saw a couple of figures floating around which are apparently not accurate/indicative of what the average pilot makes…

You'd think if the pilots were actually really hard done by the union would be releasing those numbers to garner public support. It's very noticeable that the only numbers released have been by WestJet management. The union responded by saying those weren't the true numbers and they had been cherry picked but then the logical next step would be them releasing what the actuals are. Instead they gave the same talking points about fairness and not wanting to negotiate in public. Leads me to the only conclusion that the numbers released of $300,000 a year on average are more or less correct, and the union is free to clear that up for me and everyone else concerned about this situation any time they want but I'm not holding my breath.

From everything I've read and seen this is going to cause chaos for Canadian and North American air travel and the only way it's getting resolved soon is for the Feds to step in. We'll see if they do

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Saw this sucky situation.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1658956056456724481

trying to garner support for the airline during the strike? more cancelled flights, more animosity towards the pilots.

After 30 years of flying, I certainly can't imagine many people will be carrying water for the airline industry on this one. At least, i won't

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Wormius

The pilots salaries shouldn’t have that big of an impact when amortized over the number of passengers they move per year, but I am sure WJ and AC will use the pilots salaries as a justification for jacking prices. They probably already have a press releases to that effect.

Yeah, it's probably a few bucks per passenger, per flight. What will actually happen won't be that.

[Bigtime]

All the 787 flights from Calgary to Europe today just got cancelled.

Rome, Barcelona, Dublin, Gatwick, and Heathrow.

[Johnny199r]

People will be inconvenienced and curse Westjet until they turn blue in the face, but they'll still fly with them when the strike is over.

We have two national carriers in Canada. Each carrier tends to focus on one side of the country for service.

I doubt people are going to refuse to fly on vacations after this out of principle.

Canadians will do what they always do, complain and grumble and then go back to their monopolies.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Johnny199r

People will be inconvenienced and curse Westjet until they turn blue in the face, but they'll still fly with them when the strike is over.

We have two national carriers in Canada. Each carrier tends to focus on one side of the country for service.

I doubt people are going to refuse to fly on vacations after this out of principle.

Canadians will do what they always do, complain and grumble and then go back to their monopolies.

Like you said, we have limited choices and most passengers aren't going to accept inconvenient flights. My next flight is down to Vegas with WestJet (assuming they aren't on strike) and the only other direct option is Lynx which I don't fully trust. Air Canada requires a connection in Vancouver, Denver or elsewhere. I would honestly rather drive down there then fly with a connection with AC.

[Sainters7]

Damn. This flies in the face of my bold "If our whole summer is smokey, I'm just going to fly to wherever it isn't" proclamation in the office this morning...

[Johnny199r]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

All the 787 flights from Calgary to Europe today just got cancelled.

Rome, Barcelona, Dublin, Gatwick, and Heathrow.

WJ doesn't want to have their planes stuck in foreign countries.

[Slava]

Does anyone have any experience with Delta and refundable fares? We're debating booking these for a trip next week, with the idea being that we'll bail and get our money if the strike settles and we don't need them. I don't want to end up with a delta credit, and I also don't want to have a big fight to get some of the money back but not all of it for some reason. Thoughts?

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

It'll be interesting to see if the Feds mandate them back to work or not - given how far apart they are I can't see a negotiated settlement being close...

That will be interesting to see. But sooner or later they two parties need to come to some kind of agreement. They could not agree on a first contract either when the pilots unionized a few years ago and it was settled by mediation/arbitration. In other words neither side has any track record in successfully negotiating a contract.

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I saw an email from a WestJet executive with a strike update yesterday and it does not look promising for a quick resolution. It sounds like they are expecting this to be a drawn out process. I asked a buddy if any higher ups have communicated anything about potential back to work legislation from the feds and he said nothing has been mentioned yet.

Talking to friends of ours last night. He's a pilot, just left on a pairing yesterday and expects that to be cut short. He's not feeling optimistic at all about a resolution any time soon and oddly enough says they have had essentially zero communication from the union lately. Everything they are hearing is coming from corporate communications which is not going over well with at least some of the pilot group.

[brocoli]

Just trying to look ahead here, but does anyone have any information on what to do if your flight is cancelled and you are already in Europe? Does WestJet refund that and your are on your own to figure it out?

Only looking for information as my mother is currently in Rome and flying with Westjet

[sleepingmoose]

Originally Posted by brocoli

Just trying to look ahead here, but does anyone have any information on what to do if your flight is cancelled and you are already in Europe? Does WestJet refund that and your are on your own to figure it out?

Only looking for information as my mother is currently in Rome and flying with Westjet

According to this story, they're legally required to rebook you on the next available flight on any carrier.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/ahea...e-it-1.6403320

That seems to be confirmed here:

https://airpassengerrights.ca/en/blo...-are-my-rights

[Acey]

Originally Posted by Johnny199r

WJ doesn't want to have their planes stuck in foreign countries.

That's what we'd have thought, but WestJet has told us (the airport) that they intend to ferry a few Dreamliners to Europe so they're ready to roll when this is over. They'd have to get the ball rolling on that in fairly short order if that's the plan.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by sleepingmoose

According to this story, they're legally required to rebook you on the next available flight on any carrier.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/ahea...e-it-1.6403320

That seems to be confirmed here:

https://airpassengerrights.ca/en/blo...-are-my-rights

Is that the Gabor guy's advice? I'm on his facebook group and my god, I would take what he says with a grain of salt. He's been wrong a few times, but when it's pointed out he bans the person. As well, people constantly look for his advice, but never bothers to get information on the situation, he just tells them to always take the airline to small claims (with the disclaimer that it's his opinion, not his legal advice of course). He's got himself into the news as an "expert" in the past and now I think it's gotten to his head.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Acey

That's what we'd have thought, but WestJet has told us (the airport) that they intend to ferry a few Dreamliners to Europe so they're ready to roll when this is over. They'd have to get the ball rolling on that in fairly short order if that's the plan.

That would have to be with contract aircrew I would think? Unless they can get it done in the next 12 hours but that strands their own crews over there.

Not sure how this would save any time when things are sorted out anyways. They would still have to get flight crews over there when the strike/lockout is resolved, give them their minimum rest before they can return. May as well just fly the aircraft over empty with those crews and wait for them to get legal again. But that assumes there would be slots available at the time of day they would want them to arrive so yeah, maybe better to just get the aircraft over there and wait.

Reading into it way more than I should, could that imply the corporation feels a work stoppage would be relatively shortlived? Why would they want their planes sitting over their for a long period of time.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

That would have to be with contract aircrew I would think? Unless they can get it done in the next 12 hours but that strands their own crews over there.

Not sure how this would save any time when things are sorted out anyways. They would still have to get flight crews over there when the strike/lockout is resolved, give them their minimum rest before they can return. May as well just fly the aircraft over empty with those crews and wait for them to get legal again. But that assumes there would be slots available at the time of day they would want them to arrive so yeah, maybe better to just get the aircraft over there and wait.

Reading into it way more than I should, could that imply the corporation feels a work stoppage would be relatively shortlived? Why would they want their planes sitting over their for a long period of time.

I'm not sure I fully understand at this moment, I'm not going in till later. But I see a WestJet 787 in the system departing empty to Rome at 18:05 tonight, so that one is for sure going. Presumably more flights will be setup for a couple of the others as well.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Acey

That's what we'd have thought, but WestJet has told us (the airport) that they intend to ferry a few Dreamliners to Europe so they're ready to roll when this is over. They'd have to get the ball rolling on that in fairly short order if that's the plan.

You'd think the easiest way to do that would have been to just operate some of today's flights over. Would have been a big advantage operationally, because they probably could have consolidated passengers from the other flights and then buy short haul tickets to get them to their destinations.