'Meltdown': A week later, WestJet continues to feel the fallout

One week after it ended, WestJet continues to feel the effects of a mechanics strike that nearly shut down the airline's network for 29 hours. The two-day work stoppage that began on June 28 forced the airline to cancel more than 1,000 flights before the end of the Canada Day long weekend, one of the busiest travel windows of the year. The fallout continued well into last week, as WestJet called off 100 trips on Friday and Saturday as well as at least 31 more on Sunday, according to tracking service FlightAware. Figures from the airline suggest at least 170,000 passengers have been affected. The task of fully resuming flights by a nearly grounded fleet of 180 planes across more than 175 destinations is complex, costly and time-consuming. In an email, WestJet said it is working to revamp operations promptly. "We sincerely apologize to all guests affected by the strike," said spokeswoman Madison Kruger. "Our teams across WestJet are working diligently to support all impacted guests as quickly as possible." Nonetheless, travellers have registered their frustration in a torrent of messages and social media posts, saying the carrier's customer service remained almost unreachable for days. Many also cited rebooking problems. If an airline can't make new reservations within 48 hours, Canada's passenger rights charter requires it to book travellers on the next available flight from any carrier, including competitors, if they turn down the refund — a choice customers say WestJet failed to give them.<br/>