WestJet cancels more than 460 flights because of consecutive days of extreme cold

WestJet says multiple days of frigid temperatures in the Prairies are having a "compounding" impact on operations. The airline was forced to cancel at least 120 flights on Sunday. It has cancelled at least 464 flights since Thursday, according to a post on the company's website. Extreme cold rendered de-icing fluid ineffective in some western Canadian cities for the second morning in a row, said WestJet public relations strategist Madison Kruger. "Our crews are working overtime, our equipment is in the cold," she said. "These flights are all interconnected. It's an interconnected network. So when you get to your fourth day of this, and you never fully are able to recover your operation from the first day, the impacts just continue to grow." WestJet did manage to recover several aircraft left stranded by the weather across their network, added Kruger, which "put [the airline] in a better position." She also said the airline is mandating crew rests to keep employees safe while operating in the bitter cold.<br/>