WestJet mechanics' strike upends long weekend travel

At this point Michaelo Niati is just keeping his pent up emotions in check. Right now I'm holding everything back just so I can go through this. I can't let that out just yet. On vacation in Edmonton. Canceled flights means he's struggling to get home to Prince George, BC. I have a buddy who is in PG and he said he's willing to drive 8 hours here so I might do that if he's still up to doing that. With more than 800 flights canceled, 10s of thousands of WestJet passengers are stuck searching for a way through this Canada Day long weekend travel mess. The strike caught almost everyone by surprise. Federal Labor Minister Seamus Oregon asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose binding arbitration on Thursday that typically avoids job action. But the union went on strike anyway, a move permitted by the CIRBI. Feel like the union is using asked as hostages, as a pawn, as a negotiate, negotiating too for the airlines. The federal Labour minister said he does not agree with the board's decision to allow a strike during binding arbitration and he's asked the two parties to work together. The right to strike, the right to lock out is a constitutional right. The question then is does the minister even have the right to prevent them from going on strike? And the answer is probably not. Still, WestJet says it's waiting to hear from Ottawa to see if a strike can continue during binding arbitration. So this is a very, very destructive thing basically done by a rogue US union that's trying to make inroads into Canada. These striking workers say the planes that are still flying will need mechanic support sooner rather than later. We're already down to maybe 30 airplanes, which is a tiny fraction of what we normally operate. And those airplanes are going to time expire too, if they don't get proper maintenance. What do you mean expired? Like the checks that are scheduled are going to be like overdue And then those planes will have to be grounded until those checks are carried out. Sam, there are a lot of people who have WestJet flights booked. They're wondering what might happen. What are you hearing about where the talks are tonight? Well, both sides are keeping pretty tight lipped as of right now. We do know that both the airline and the union are working through mediators. That's according to a statement on the union's website. But as far as negotiations and any progress, it's still unclear at this point. We do know, though, that this whole conversation is getting even more politically charged. Both Alberta and Saskatchewan's premiers are calling on Ottawa to make sure that work continues during binding arbitration. So both of them say the federal government needs to step in and end this strike. OK, we'll keep watching this. Sam Sampson in Edmonton at airports across the country, cancelled flights and growing frustration. I've been here from about 6:00. I don't wait for a standby flight, but they don't seem to get an answer. 10s of thousands of customers caught in travel limbo. I was waiting over the phone all day yesterday, two hours at a time. And then it would just kind of hang up on me. This man had just dropped off his brother's family at the airport for a long-awaited trip to the Philippines. And both of their flights just got cancelled. But their Philippine flights are with a different airline, so they weren't, they're not able to like get anything done about that because it's right now like their flight just got cancelled. So now they're stuck here. Experts say the strike's timing is no coincidence, with an estimated quarter of a million Canadians flying this holiday weekend. And for customers with cancelled flights trying to rebook now, not easy. They're up against a brick wall, literally speaking. For one, getting through to the airline is difficult, too. When you do get through, you may be told, you know, we'll call you back or we can't take your call. Still, Canadian regulations say if cancelled flights are within an airline's control, it's on them to find another way to get you to your destination. Experts warn rebooking with another airline on your own and expecting WestJet to pay the bill could be risky. If you do it yourself, you may have to go and make a claim against them. That's probably going to take a long time and maybe turned down. Experts say customers should also avoid accepting refunds for cancelled flights. That absolves airlines from any other incurred costs associated with your trip, like a prolonged hotel stay. And if you can hold on until you reach an agent, you have a better shot of getting full compensation. Nicole Williams, CBC News, Ottawa.