WestJet to wind down Swoop, integrate into main operation

WestJet says it should wind down operations at Swoop because it integrates the finances service’s operations into its important banner.

The transfer comes after ratification of a brand new collective settlement that brings pilots of each carriers onto a stage pay scale.

The Air Line Pilots Association says the four-year contract contains industry-leading pay will increase, job safety protections, and main scheduling and high quality of life enhancements.

The affiliation says 87 per cent of the pilots who voted backed the settlement.

The airline and its pilots reached a last-minute deal earlier this 12 months, narrowly averting a strike forward of the May lengthy weekend.

However, WestJet and Swoop flights had already been grounded in anticipation of the potential work stoppage, which was averted.

The pilots’ affiliation had mentioned the contract points revolved round pay, job safety and scheduling, with pilots incomes roughly half of what a few of their U.S. counterparts make.

The new contract goes into impact July 1, with retroactive pay to Jan. 1. It expires on the finish of 2026.

“Having this agreement in place will go a long way to solve many of the airline’s labour issues, and bring more stability to our operations,” Bernard Lewall, who heads the Air Line Pilots Association’s WestJet contingent, mentioned in a news launch.

This report by The Canadian Press was first printed June 9, 2023.