MONTREAL — Air Canada is turning the tables on WestJet by taking advantage of labour uncertainty at its Calgary rival with a suggestion that it is ready to adjust schedules and capacity to limit passenger disruptions.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the Montreal-based airline says the public may feel anxious about potential labour disruption as WestJet pilots begin voting on giving its negotiators a strike mandate.<\/p>\n
WestJet took a similar tack in 2011 when Air Canada was undergoing labour battles of its own.<\/p>\n
It also vowed to add flights to rescue stranded passengers if an Air Canada strike grounded planes.<\/p>\n
Analyst Chris Murray of AltaCorp Capital called the moves pure marketing, by highlighting the challenges facing its domestic rival while also promoting its service as an alternative.<\/p>\n
Still, he says ongoing uncertainty about a potential strike could hurt WestJet revenue per average seat mile, also known as RASM.<\/p>\n
WestJet CEO Ed Sims downplayed the strike vote, calling it a common step by unions in the overall labour negotiating process.<\/p>\n
A 60-day federal conciliation period ends Friday, which marks the beginning of a 21-day cooling-off period, after which the pilots can legally strike.<\/p>\n
The Air Line Pilots Association, which is attempting to conclude WestJet’s first union contract, represents about 1,500 WestJet pilots and 500 WestJet Encore pilots.<\/p>\n
Companies in this story: (TSX:WJA, TSX:AC)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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