THUNDER BAY — Pre-long weekend flights out of the Thunder Bay Airport weren't affected by a possible pilots strike for WestJet and Swoop Air.
Even though the union and the airlines reached a tentative deal late Thursday night, WestJet had pre-emptively cancelled some scheduled Thursday and Friday flights.
None of those flights were to or from Thunder Bay, as the Air Line Pilots Association said the city's airport was not affected due to them not being "mainline flights."
The pilots and airlines had been in negotiations since last September. The pilots had previously voted in favour of strike action, and had given 72-hour notice that flights could be grounded for the long weekend if an agreement wasn't reached by Friday morning at 3 a.m.
The pilots were seeking increased pay, better and more flexible schedules, as well as better retention programs as the demand for the specially trained role, is in demand.
