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WestJet to begin parking planes amid looming strike · INSIGHT TODAY

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Okay, let's stay on our coverage of the west Jet
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: labor dispute that could see thousands of flight attendants walk
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: off the job this weekend. CBC News has learned that
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  Speaker 1: WestJet is beginning to park it's seven thirty seven planes
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  Speaker 1: right across its network now. This move comes as thousands
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  Speaker 1: of passengers face uncertainty about their travel plans as they
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  Speaker 1: head into one of the busiest weekends of the summer.
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  Speaker 2: I had like work back, you know in Canada, Like definitely,
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  Speaker 2: I'm worried. I think that everyone is just supportive of workers,
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: Like times are hard now. Travels like an essential service
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  Speaker 2: in a sense, right, Like I get what they need
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  Speaker 2: to strike. They have to strike, like for like their
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  Speaker 2: reasons or whatever. Right, but people also need to get places.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, vacation is one thing, but like some people
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  Speaker 2: travel for other reasons, is too right.
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  Speaker 1: The flight attendants could be on strike or locked out
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  Speaker 1: as early as Sunday. A deal could still potentially be
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  Speaker 1: reached in order to avoid the work stoppage. Both west
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Jet and the union are still at the bargaining table,
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: but a representative for the union says the two sides
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  Speaker 1: remain far on key issues such as pay. CBC's SIDU
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: is tracking the very latest for us, once again joining
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  Speaker 1: us from the Calgary International Airport. I know we just
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  Speaker 1: got this latest update directly from WestJet. What more can
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  Speaker 1: you tell us about the dispute and if any progress
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  Speaker 1: is being made.
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  Speaker 3: Well, Natasha, talks are very much ongoing, but just a
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  Speaker 3: short time ago, WestJet told its employees that it's going
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  Speaker 3: to be begin to park some of its seven point
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  Speaker 3: thirty seven aircraft across its network now in an email
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  Speaker 3: obtained by CBC News, the internal memo also claims the
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  Speaker 3: company has offered flight attendants additional pay for work before
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  Speaker 3: and after flights, and offered them a double digit wage
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  Speaker 3: increase in the first year of the contract. Now, we
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  Speaker 3: have reached out to WestJet and QPY, the union representing
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  Speaker 3: the flight attendants, for comment. We have not heard back yet,
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  Speaker 3: but this really is the key issue in these talks.
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  Speaker 3: The union representing the flight attendants say that the flight
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  Speaker 3: attendants are asking for fair compensation. They want to be
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  Speaker 3: paid for their time on the ground before flight takes
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  Speaker 3: off and after it lands. Now, we are keeping ap
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  Speaker 3: our eyes on all developments today. Up until now, it
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  Speaker 3: has really been business as usual. Here at YYC, but
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  Speaker 3: as of twelve to one am Sunday morning, forty four
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  Speaker 3: hundred West flight attendants could walk off the job. We
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  Speaker 3: did speak to a labor lawyer who says it's not
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  Speaker 3: uncommon for talks to go right down to the wire.
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  Speaker 4: Right now. We've seen in the past twelve month and
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  Speaker 4: in the past few years a lot of shall we say,
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  Speaker 4: tension in the airline industry along the lines of these
• 2:45
  Speaker 4: various unions and employers bargaining, and so in the airline industry,
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  Speaker 4: one might say that's become pretty common now in other industries.
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  Speaker 3: Not necessarily.
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  Speaker 4: There is a concept called pattern bargaining, where you might
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  Speaker 4: be trying to bargain your collective agreement, but you're going
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  Speaker 4: to be looking at other employers and unions in your
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  Speaker 4: same industry to see how are the tides going, how
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  Speaker 4: is the tone and pace of negotiations generally going.
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  Speaker 3: And this is all really similar to the labor to
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  Speaker 3: disruptions we saw last summer with Air Canada involving thousands
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  Speaker 3: of flight attendants and grounding thousands of flights last summer
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  Speaker 3: as well.
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  Speaker 1: Now you've had a chance to speak to some travelers
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  Speaker 1: who are there at the airport. What are they telling you?
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  Speaker 3: There is relief for some people that are flying out today,
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  Speaker 3: you know, taking advantage getting out before the long weekend.
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  Speaker 3: So people are feeling nervous, but for the most part,
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  Speaker 3: they are relieved that they are leaving today. A lot
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  Speaker 3: of them are. You know, we're in the international departures terminal.
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  Speaker 3: There's a lot of big flights of people are taking.
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  Speaker 3: We spoke to a number of people flying to Tokyo
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  Speaker 3: and just a lot of trips that have been planned
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  Speaker 3: months in advance. Have a listen to what they're saying.
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  Speaker 2: Not knowing that my trip might be canceled, which is
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  Speaker 2: pretty stressful considering I booked this last Minute's stressful.
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  Speaker 3: Obviously I'm headed down there and I might be stuck there,
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  Speaker 3: so that's a problem. But I'm just kind of hoping
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  Speaker 3: that it doesn't last long if it does happen. Now,
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  Speaker 3: the real worry though, is those return flights. People leaving
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  Speaker 3: today are of course heading out. There has not been
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  Speaker 3: any problem so far, but people are worried about how
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  Speaker 3: they're going to get home, so they're keeping an eye
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  Speaker 3: on it. But for the most part, they're just saying
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  Speaker 3: we'll deal with it as it comes now. WestJet is
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  Speaker 3: offering a one time change for passengers up until August fourth,
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  Speaker 3: but you are not necessarily getting the money back that
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  Speaker 3: you received. It might be a credit, just depends on
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  Speaker 3: what kind of flight you did book. I just speak
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  Speaker 3: to a travel agent, though, who says that you know
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  Speaker 3: if you want a book on other airlines really are
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  Speaker 3: not a lot of options left in the Prices could
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  Speaker 3: also be quite high since it's so last minute during
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  Speaker 3: peak summer travel.
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  Speaker 1: Natasha so you SE's Aynasudu at the Calgary International Airport.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, Ana
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  Speaker 2: Two