CanJet Airlines just announced it is cutting 27 of 44 flight attendant jobs based in Halifax next month. CanJet also has bases in Montreal, Toronto, Québec, Calgary and Vancouver. The company president explained that activities have shifted to other centres. The Canadian Union of Public Employees was informed Thursday (May 20) about the layoffs.
CanJet President Ken Rowe said he offered employees a "very generous" relocation allowance to move to another part of the country so they could keep their jobs. He explained: "The business we’re now conducting, all of our aircraft are pretty-well based in cities other than Halifax, primarily Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver. So our whole business base has gone west, where the population is. So it’s becoming increasingly difficult for us to manage crews starting in Halifax and send them all across the country, at times, to join aircraft."
Most of the affected employees have a lot of seniority. CUPE official Peter Baxter says, "These are employees who have not only built the company but have stayed with CanJet through restructuring in the past."
The CanJet market relies heavily on sun destinations, mainly during the winter.