Sudden cancellations of Westjet flights have left passengers in Ottawa scrambling. More than 4,000 flight attendants launched a strike on Sunday, leading to airline to cancel all flights on the long weekend. A picket line was set up outside the Ottawa International Airport on Sunday morning. Inside the airport, passengers were scrambling trying to find alternatives to make it to their plans. Nicki Gapero’s flight was cancelled out of Ottawa on Sunday afternoon. The Calgary resident was in the capital visiting a friend and to see a concert in Montreal. “My flight was rescheduled for Tuesday, under any other circumstance it would be fine, but I’m leaving for Paris on Tuesday from Calgary and so if I leave with this flight, I’d be missing that flight,” said Gapero. Gapero says she’s fortunate that she can stay with her friend, but the situation is stressful. “If I was by myself booking accommodation and having to find all the food and stuff, it would have been a nightmare,” she said. Gapero can’t afford to buy another ticket and she has to get to France for her planned trip. “I’m trying to figure out if they can rebook my Paris flight at the very least,” she said. Outside the Ottawa International Airport, WestJet workers were on the picket line holding signs with phrases like, “unpaid work won’t fly” and “respect our work.” Another sign read, “We should be handing out peanuts not making them.” The line-up at the WestJet counter of the Ottawa International Airport was consistent throughout the day on Sunday as passengers scrambled to find a solution for their cancelled flight. “We got here at 11 a.m., but when I got in line at 1 p.m., I found out that the flight was cancelled,” said Julie DeloSantos, who was flying back to the Philippines. For Gapero, the clock is ticking. “Obviously this is affecting so many people, probably around the world because WestJet has flights everywhere. So, as a major company, I really hope that they can hear their people and get it together,” said Gapero. She says that she’s even considering trying to fly standby to Edmonton and then somehow making it back to Calgary in time to leave for Paris. But for Gapero, it’s been a very stressful situation and an unfortunate way to end a fun vacation in Ottawa.
