Canadian airline WestJet agrees to settle flight attendants’ sexual harassment class action

Canadian airline WestJet has agreed to pay C$4.5 million (approximately £2.4 million) to settle a decade-long sexual harassment class action lawsuit filed by its female flight attendants. The allegations arose after former flight attendant Mandalena Lewis alleged that a pilot had sexually assaulted her and a colleague, and that WestJet kept the pilot flying, putting other employees at risk.

Despite WestJet paying out $12.5 million in a baggage fee class action earlier, the sexual harassment suit sought an admission of wrongdoing and a breach of employee contracts, which were not included in the settlement. The suit, filed in April 2016 by Lewis, claimed that the company failed to maintain a safe workplace and violated employee contracts by not taking adequate steps to address reports of assault or prevent harassment during the period between April 2014 and February 2021.

The settlement was finalized on June 22 after months of negotiations and will be distributed among the 3,452 flight attendants in the class action after expenses, including legal fees, are removed. WestJet agreed to hire a third-party to conduct a workplace inquiry to examine the prevalence of harassment, underreporting, and the effectiveness of reporting systems.

The settlement was approved by a British Columbia judge on Monday, despite some of the suit's members expressing disappointment due to the low payout and lack of accountability by WestJet.