Flight Attendants and Pilots Joined ALPA to Discuss the Issue

After completing its acquisition and merger with Sunwing in 2024, WestJet decided to shut down its Quebec City base. Pilots and flight attendants from Sunwing are now speaking out on the issue, encouraging WestJet to rethink their decision.

WestJet announced its plan to acquire Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines for an undisclosed amount in March 2022. The deal was finalized on May 1, 2023, adding 18 Boeing 737s and nearly 2,000 employees to WestJet’s operation. Though the pair originally planned to complete their integration in October 2024, WestJet ended up pushing the ambitious timeline back by six months and they are now expected to combine fleets in late April.

In the meantime, Sunwing crewmembers have been butting heads with WestJet on several fronts. Part of the struggle came with the two having been represented by different unions — Unifor at Sunwing and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) at WestJet — until they joined under ALPA last November.

Another major issue is WestJet’s decision to shut down Sunwing’s base at Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB). Sunwing flight attendants and pilots came together at a March 17 press conference to remind WestJet how crucial the YQB base is to not only workers, but the local community and economy.

“WestJet purchased Sunwing with the intention of expanding services in eastern Canada and increasing vacation offerings from regional hubs,” explained Mark Taylor, chair of the Sunwing ALPA master executive council. “Closing or relocating the YQB base undermines this corporate strategy and the company’s own stated goals.”

Tenured Sunwing flight attendant Dominique Cote noted that crewmembers based in Quebec City have no good options with the closure, forcing them to either uproot their lives, commute hours away on their own dime, or just quit. Cote also highlighted how crucial the Quebec City base is to its vastly French-speaking community, giving passengers access to flight crews that they can communicate with.

"Our passengers deserve to understand, and they deserve to be understood,” said Côté. “The fact that we can address our passengers in French helps foster respect. Passengers trust us, so they’re more inclined to respect the guidelines, almost like they’re part of the family.”

FMI: www.sunwing.ca