WestJet passengers stranded in London

WestJet has reached a deal with its mechanics to end a strike, but the counter at the London International Airport remains dark.

That means passengers headed on the twice-daily flights to and from Calgary are not yet able to fly.

“I was supposed to go home today, and there are some rumors that we might be able to go home on Wednesday,” says Ishan Manerikar, who is in London for the Canadian Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association’s (CEWHA) Tournament of Champions.

The goaltender for the Calgary Selects is stuck 3,000 kilometres from home.Ishan Manerikar of the Calgary Selects in the Canadian Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association is stranded in London, Ont. after his flight to Calgary was canceled due to a WestJet strike (Source: Brent Lale/CTV News London)

“We’ve come to this amazing event that gets athletes from all over Canada and we have the stresses of the game, which we love, but not being able to go back home is certainly not what we signed up for.”

Some 680 workers, whose daily inspections and repairs are essential to airline operations, had walked off the job on Friday evening despite a directive for binding arbitration from the labour minister.

Since Thursday, WestJet had cancelled 829 flights scheduled between then and Monday — the busiest travel weekend of the season — the carrier said.

At London airport, the strike caught officials off guard. Monday’s flights are canceled, and Tuesday’s are in limbo.

“It's just frustrating for our passengers that are using the Calgary flights and they've increased to twice a day now for the summer season,” says Scott McFazdean, president and CEO of the airport.

“It's really tough on the long weekend, unexpectedly to have a lot of people's plans affected”.

In a news release on its website, WestJet said there will still be flight disruptions in the week ahead as its planes are brought back into service.

“The damage to Canadians and our airline is massive, a swift resolution was necessary; we take no victory laps on this outcome but will sleep better tonight knowing further harm has been prevented,” airline president Diederik Pen said in the release, which was posted late Sunday.

In its own news release, the Airplane Mechanics Fraternal Association urged its members to return to work immediately pending a vote on the temporary agreement.

"We believe this outcome would not have been possible without the strike, but we do regret the disruption and inconvenience it has caused the travelling public over the Canada Day holiday period," the union said in its statement.

"We are pleased the strike lasted only 48 hours and that service can now return to normal.

At the CEWHA, players from Calgary say they have not received any information from WestJet about potential compensation, or new arrangements.

“We are on disability, so we don't even have any extra money to, to pay for hotel,” says Gerald Doucette, the Selects assistant captain.

“I'm very nervous. They just put their hands up and said fend for yourself."Gerald Doucette of the Calgary Selects in the Canadian Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association is stranded in London, Ont. after his flight to Calgary was canceled due to a WestJet strike (Source: Brent Lale/CTV London)

The concern is also growing over the potential need for expensive medication, as the players didn’t pack extra because they assumed they’d be going home Monday.

“When you buy a round-trip flight, you believe you have kind of a contract,” says Adam Ellis, executive director of CEWHA.

“I understand strikes can happen, but these athletes have different needs than the average person and that can be very scary”.

McFazdean says when more flight information becomes available; his team will share it immediately.

“I just encourage anyone that is flying in the next couple days with WestJet to just keep checking in with them,” he says.

“Right now we're waiting ourselves to hear from WestJet in terms of the impact, on our flights to Calgary”.

Before the tentative deal was reached overnight Monday, WestJet said it had offered a 12.5 per cent wage hike in the first year of the contract and a compounded wage increase of 23 per cent over the rest of the five-and-a-half-year term.

~ With files from The Canadian Press.