Canadian airline WestJet has agreed to pay C$4.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by female flight attendants who alleged the company failed to maintain a workplace free from sexual harassment. A British Columbia judge approved the settlement on Monday; the terms were finalised on 22 June after months of negotiation and will be distributed among 3,452 flight attendants once expenses, including legal fees, are removed.
WestJet agrees to C$4.5m settlement in decade-long sexual harassment class action by female flight attendants
Canadian airline WestJet has agreed to pay C$4.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by female flight attendants who alleged the company failed to maintain a workplace free from sexual harassment. A British Columbia judge approved the settlement on Monday; the terms were finalised on 22 June after months of negotiation and will be distributed among 3,452 flight attendants once expenses, including legal fees, are removed.
The lawsuit originated with Mandalena Lewis, a former flight attendant who filed the initial class action in April 2016. Lewis alleged she was sexually assaulted by a WestJet pilot during a layover in Hawaii in 2010, when she was 25 years old. Court documents also reference an alleged assault by the same pilot on another flight attendant in 2008.
Lewis said she reported the assault to WestJet, but that the pilot remained employed by the airline. She also said she reported the incident to police in Maui and alleged that WestJet rerouted the pilot to prevent him from being questioned in Hawaii. Lewis was dismissed by WestJet in 2016 for what the company described in court documents as 'gross insubordination.' Lewis and her legal team have characterised the dismissal as retaliation for her efforts to hold the airline accountable internally.
Under British Columbia law, the suit covered all female flight attendants employed by WestJet between 4 April 2014 and 28 February 2021. The claim alleged that WestJet violated its own employee policy — which promised a harassment-free workplace — by failing to take sufficient steps to address assault reports or prevent harassment.
The suit had sought mandatory anti-harassment training for pilots, an admission of wrongdoing, and an acknowledgement of a breach of employee contracts. None of those provisions were included in the final settlement. WestJet did agree to engage a third party to conduct a workplace inquiry examining the prevalence of harassment, the extent of underreporting, and ways to improve reporting systems.
Lewis said she was advised that C$4.5 million was the most achievable given mounting legal costs, but expressed disappointment with the outcome, noting that WestJet paid approximately C$12.5 million in a separate baggage fee class action two years ago — nearly three times the amount agreed to in this settlement. Eight members of the class action had already asked the province's supreme court in February not to approve the settlement, citing a low payout and insufficient accountability.
The case drew national attention to alleged harassment of female flight attendants and broader workplace vulnerability. A 2018 survey by the US Association of Flight Attendants of more than 3,500 flight attendants found that 68 percent had experienced sexual harassment during their careers, while only 7 percent had reported an incident to their employer.
- The current status or identity of the pilot accused of assault is not established by the source.
- The outcome of Lewis's report to police in Maui, including whether any criminal proceedings followed, is not addressed.
- The source does not detail what, if any, internal investigation WestJet conducted following Lewis's initial complaint.
- The basis for WestJet's 'gross insubordination' finding against Lewis is not explained beyond the company's court document description.
- The specific terms governing distribution of the settlement fund among class members are not detailed.
Read the original at The Guardian