Canada WestJet flight attendants go on strike

Canada's second-largest airline, WestJet, was hit by a flight attendants' strike on Sunday, triggering hundreds of flight cancellations during one of the busiest travel weekends of the summer.



More than 4,000 flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) officially walked off the job after contract negotiations between the union and the airline failed to produce a new collective agreement.



In anticipation of the strike, WestJet began scaling back operations and issuing flight cancellations on Friday.



According to the airline's latest update, network-wide cancellations had climbed to 309 flights by Sunday.



WestJet said that it remains at the table, committed to achieving a negotiated tentative agreement.



Patty Hajdu, federal minister of jobs and families, took to social media early Sunday to describe the strike as a "disappointing development."