Noah Zivitz

Managing Editor, BNN Bloomberg

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WestJet Group Inc. is taking approximately 15 per cent of flights out of its daily schedule until the end of January due to the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, extreme temperatures, and staffing shortages.

"Over the past 72 hours, we have seen a significant increase in delays and cancellations impacting our business," said Harry Taylor, the airline's interim president and chief executive, in a statement Thursday afternoon. 

"We find ourselves no longer able to predictably resource our planned schedule due to Omicron impact and have made the difficult decision to consolidate approximately 15 percent of scheduled flights through to January 31, 2022," he said. 

In a subsequent email exchange, WestJet Spokesperson Morgan Bell noted WestJet is currently operating approximately 450 flights per day and that as of 11am ET Thursday, 71 flights had been cancelled. 

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Air Canada said approximately four per cent of that airline’s flights have been affected by what was described as a “primarily weather-driven” situation. The statement made no mention of Omicron causing schedule disruptions.

“For its 2022 schedule, Air Canada continues to evaluate and adjust its route network as required in response to the trajectory of the pandemic, government-imposed travel restrictions and quarantines, regulatory requirements and overall demand,” the spokesperson said.

WestJet’s Harry Taylor acknowledged the flight disruptions experienced thus far have been "immensely challenging and frustrating." He added that "every effort" is being made to consolidate flights in the least disruptive way possible. 

WestJet said it will offer a full refund to passengers whose flights are changed or cancelled by the airline where the new itinerary is altered by 90 minutes or more, or when at least one stop was added. 

In the face of the logistical challenge, Taylor renewed WestJet's call for more support from governments.

"Additional measures are urgently needed from our federal and provincial governments to minimize disruption," he said. 

"National alignment and standardization for our sector, similar to the approaches being taken by provinces to stabilize other essential services such as healthcare, would remove inconsistent provincial isolation requirements that are restricting staffing abilities."