CALGARY — WestJet has postponed its planned integration of Sunwing Airlines, a move that represents a setback for the Calgary-based company after acquiring the leisure carrier last year. In an email, WestJet said it will weave the discount airline’s fleet into its own by late April, six months after the integration date initially set for Oct. 26 of this year .
Both airlines will continue with “business as usual” on their winter flight schedules, said spokeswoman Madison Kruger. The longer timeline comes as pilot shortages continue to plague the industry. The delay is due in part to pilot training, said Rick Jones, WestJet’s interim head of route planning, at a conference in Washington, D.
C., on Monday. But union turbulence may also play a role.
“With safety, people and guests at the forefront, the WestJet Group intends to integrate as much of Sunwing Airlines as possible by its original October 2024 date. The WestJet Group expects unionized operational team members will be integrated in a phased approach to meet training and aircraft transition schedules by April 27, 2025,” Kruger said. Wrangling over worker seniority for pilots slated to fly under the same banner remains a point of contention, said John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University “There is a union issue there,” he said.
The two sets of pilots are represented by different labour groups — the Air Line Pilots Association at WestJet and Unifor at Sunwing. “You’ve got a 20.
