WestJet Bringing Back Some 6,400 Workers

WestJet is putting more than 6,000 workers back on the payroll.

"We are pleased to announce, after discussions with the federal government, that we will bring almost 6,400 employees back on the WestJet payroll, once the government has approved the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program," WestJet President and CEO Ed Sims said in a video.

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“This does not automatically mean that they will be coming back to work as there may not be work there for them. But it does help them make ends meet and I am grateful for the hard work by the Government of Canada and of all governments across Canada to provide businesses with the tools to continue operating in these challenging times. We will be communicating with those WestJetters who are affected by this decision as soon as we can.”

“I again want to thank WestJetters on the frontline – our pilots, cabin crew members, customer service agents, contact centre agents, operations control teams and technical operations crew. They have continued to put the interests of guests ahead of their own and I could not be prouder of them.”

“I thank all WestJetters involved in the repatriation flights to bring Canadians home and those involved in moving vital cargo shipments across our network. Behind the scenes, our procurement team has scoured the globe to obtain the required safety equipment, striking a balance between getting what we need while ensuring we continue to deliver tons of essential supplies to our public health workers. Canada is seeing the best of WestJet every day in the work our WestJetters are doing.”

“I thank and salute all of Canada’s remarkable health care workers. It may sound bizarre to hear an airline guy encourage people to stay at home, but by limiting our own travel, we are protecting the safety of our nurses, doctors, orderlies and care givers and shortening the time we all need to spend self-isolating.”

“The impact of the COVID-19 virus continues to drive down demand. Despite this downturn, I will reiterate our intention to continue serving the 38 cities to which we currently fly, and I am proud we continue to do so. While most of these cities will see less flights over the course of the week, we continue to be there for them.”

“We will not be grounding this airline unless instructed to by the governments. A stable network is the strongest platform from which to recover and rebuild and to keep Canadian airfares fair for many, many years to come.”

Air Canada on Wednesday said it was bringing back 16,500 employees. Porter Airlines and Transat also are looking at the federal legislation and Ottawa's wage subsidy programs.