WestJet uncertainty scraps B.C. family’s surprise Disney vacation

While a pilots’ strike has been averted, WestJet’s move to cancel dozens of flights in anticipation of job action has affected many travellers’ plans.

Among them is Burnaby man Randy Rinaldo, who says his surprise family vacation to Disneyland in California is no longer going ahead.

“We booked WestJet Vacations months ago — it was a package of flight and hotel. We were looking forward to it. This week we were going to take my kids for their birthday, it was my birthday as well,” Rinaldo told CityNews from his home Friday.

Rinaldo was among the many people who got caught up in the moves taken by the WestJet Group after the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) issued a strike notice earlier this week.

Had a deal not been reached at the 11th hour, pilots would have been in a position to strike as of 3 a.m. MT Friday.

Related article: 

• WestJet pilots, airline reach tentative deal ahead of strike: union

• WestJet cancellations announced ‘in anticipation of’ strike

• Travellers worry as WestJet strike deadline looms

A day prior to the deal, the WestJet Group announced it was cancelling flights in preparation for the strike, saying it wanted to “avoid abandoning aircraft in remote locations without support,” and create “the proactive communication with guests and crew to minimize the potential for being stranded.”

“We were waiting for Friday to come along because, of course, it was Friday morning when they were going to go on strike and that’s when our flights were going to take off. And last night, they sent us confirmation to fly out, to book our seats, and all that stuff, and then a few hours later, they said they were cancelling our flight,” he explained.

“They were going to postpone the flight to the next day but that wouldn’t work for a Disneyland trip because it’s a very regimented, organized, day-by-day trip where you have to be efficient with things, so it just couldn’t work. We had to cancel the whole thing.”

Because the trip was booked through WestJet Vacations, Rinaldo explains he was forced to call in to cancel the hotel portion of the package.

He says the whole process has been hectic.

Fortunately, Rinaldo says his kids were never told about the plan — “so they don’t know what they’re missing out on right now.”

But he admits a lot of the work that went into planning the trip is now wasted.

“My wife and I taking time off work, that’s not easy, my wife buying all these little Disney outfits for the kids, getting them all ready … she was so excited and it’s been pretty morbid around here lately, we’re pretty sad about the whole situation,” he said.

All in all, Rinaldo estimates about $4,500 was spent on the vacation.

He’s expecting a refund for the flights but isn’t sure what will happen with the hotel portion of the package, saying an email from WestJet asked that he call in.

“Hopefully we’ll get all the money back.”

The ALPA announced just before 11 p.m. PT Thursday that it had reached an agreement “in principle” with the WestJet Group. That came after “more than 9 months of negotiations on a new pilot contract.”

“This contract will also help solve many of WestJet’s pilot attraction and retention issues, benefiting everyone involved from our company to our passengers and fellow employees,” Capt. Bernard Lewall, chair of the WestJet ALPA, said, adding the deal “goes a long way to recognizing the value and expertise” of the union’s pilots.

Many travellers have expressed their frustrations in the wake of the cancellations, which came just before the May long weekend.

While Rinaldo says his family won’t be going to Disneyland this weekend, they’re already talking about potentially going in the fall.

“We’ll see which carrier we choose to go with on the follow-up trip,” he added.

-With files from Greg Bowman