No sign of a breakthrough emerged in talks between WestJet and its pilots Wednesday, as the company91裸聊视频檚 CEO deemed the union91裸聊视频檚 expectations unrealistic while the Air Line Pilots Association slammed the airline for trying to 91裸聊视频榩ublicly villainize91裸聊视频� its workers.

WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said late Tuesday the two sides remained far apart on key sticking points 91裸聊视频� especially wages 91裸聊视频� as bargaining heats up and the clock ticks down on a strike deadline.

91裸聊视频淭he gap is still massive,91裸聊视频� von Hoensbroech said from the bargaining venue, a hotel north of Toronto. Neither the company nor the union provided a concrete update Wednesday on the state of negotiations.

More than 1,800 pilots at WestJet and its Swoop subsidiary are poised to potentially walk off the job as of 3 a.m. EDT on Friday after the union issued a strike notice Monday night.

The standoff has left thousands of passengers with travel plans for the May long weekend and beyond hanging in limbo.

In recognition of that uncertainty, the airline is offering refunds to passengers who cancel flights scheduled until May 21, and fee-free changes to bookings within the same period.

The potential strike has already created a drop in bookings for the airline, which hasn91裸聊视频檛 turned a profit since 2019, said von Hoensbroech.

91裸聊视频淲e have gone through three years of a pandemic that has left very deep scars,91裸聊视频� he said.

While the carrier is still recovering, its latest offer to the union would see wide-body plane captains earn $350,000 in total compensation annually by the end of the collective agreement term, according to a letter to flight crew from the company and obtained by The Canadian Press. Narrow-body captains would earn $300,000.

91裸聊视频淚mmediately upon the effective date, WestJet pilots would have had the highest narrow-body first officer and captain top-step wage rate in Canada,91裸聊视频� the Monday night letter states.

The union says the figures don91裸聊视频檛 tell the full story.

91裸聊视频淲estJet management91裸聊视频檚 decision to selectively manipulate and cherry-pick salary numbers is an exercise in creative accounting practices that in no way reflect the actual reality of compensation for its pilots,91裸聊视频� said Bernard Lewall, who heads the Air Line Pilot Association91裸聊视频檚 WestJet contingent, in a statement.

91裸聊视频淲e encourage WestJet management to put their efforts into negotiating a contract, instead of trying to publicly villainize the very pilots who are fighting to be a part of the airline91裸聊视频檚 future success and help the company recognize its own highly touted growth strategy.91裸聊视频�

The Air Canada Pilots Association said last week that flight crews are working at a 91裸聊视频渟teep discount91裸聊视频� compared to their U.S. counterparts, a concern that Lewall has echoed following a 34 per cent pay hike over four years secured in March by Delta Air Lines pilots.

Von Hoensbroech concurred, but said the union nonetheless harbours 91裸聊视频渆xtreme expectations.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淭hey realized that pilots in the U.S. earn double what pilots earn in Canada, and they want to have this as well. And I think it91裸聊视频檚 pretty obvious to anyone that such an expectation of doubling wages is just not realistic.91裸聊视频�

Lewall has said pay, scheduling and job security remain the key areas of dispute 91裸聊视频� another point on which the CEO agrees.

Some 340 pilots have left the carrier over the past year and a half 91裸聊视频� mostly for other Canadian airlines, according to Lewall. But von Hoensbroech said WestJet91裸聊视频檚 mainline fleet has hired three times the number of pilots who91裸聊视频檝e resigned.

He acknowledged that its regional segment, WestJet Encore, has lost plenty of workers, but noted that they are not part of the current bargaining.

In response to the strike notice, WestJet issued a lockout notice shortly before midnight Monday to maintain 91裸聊视频渃ontrol91裸聊视频� over its planes, the CEO said. While job action can be limited and rotational, lockouts involve blanket application. Both could take effect Friday, but neither has to.

91裸聊视频淚f a strike hits us on short notice at a point where we don91裸聊视频檛 expect it, we may strand an airplane somewhere in the Caribbean 91裸聊视频� in I don91裸聊视频檛 know where,91裸聊视频� von Hoensbroech said. 91裸聊视频淭hen we are in trouble.91裸聊视频�

The CEO as well as WestJet91裸聊视频檚 chief operating officer and chief financial officer have all descended on a hotel near Toronto91裸聊视频檚 Pearson airport to try to hash out a deal with the union.

On Wednesday, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra encouraged the two sides to reach a resolution, noting Labour Minister Seamus O91裸聊视频橰egan and a mediator 91裸聊视频� Peter Simpson, who heads the federal mediation service 91裸聊视频� are on the ground.

91裸聊视频淚 do not want to put my finger on the scale,91裸聊视频� Alghabra told reporters in Ottawa. 91裸聊视频淯ltimately the biggest obligation is to make sure that they deliver the service that they sold to customers.91裸聊视频�

In the event of a delay or cancellation, customers will be 91裸聊视频渞efunded or re-accommodated, as applicable,91裸聊视频� the airline said Monday.

Regulations entitle passengers to a rebooking within 48 hours of a cancellation or three-hour-plus delay, according to the Canadian Transportation Agency.

If the airline can91裸聊视频檛 meet those obligations, the passenger can opt for a refund or alternate travel arrangements, free of charge, on 91裸聊视频渁ny airline travelling on a reasonable route from the same airport91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� or from a nearby airport, and the carrier must 91裸聊视频渢ransport you there,91裸聊视频� the agency website states.

Swoop competitor Flair Airlines seized on the uncertainty over upcoming trips, adding flights to its Vancouver-Calgary and Vancouver-Edmonton routes and cheekily encouraging travellers on its homepage, 91裸聊视频渄on91裸聊视频檛 strike out your long weekend.91裸聊视频�

As negotiations ground on Wednesday, the Air Line Pilots Association approved a merger with the Air Canada Pilots Association91裸聊视频檚 4,500 members, bringing the country91裸聊视频檚 two biggest flight crew labour groups under one roof.

The move means 95 per cent of professional Canadian pilots are represented by a single union, effective immediately, said Charlene Hudy, the Air Canada union91裸聊视频檚 council chair, in a statement.

91裸聊视频淲ith the collective strength of over 73,000 pilots in North America, we look forward to working toward a better future for the piloting profession and aviation industry as a whole.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频擟hristopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press

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