The head of WestJet says layoffs were unavoidable.
The airline announcing more than 3,300 workers are being permanently layed off.
CEO Ed Sims did not attempt to sugar coat the news.
Sims says he has been describing this experience as a valley, where we are now at the bottom, and we have a long and arduous climb out.
Last week fewer than 7,500 passengers arrived at Canadian airports from the U.S., down more than 98 per cent from a year earlier, according to the Canada Border Services Agency.
And international passenger numbers were down 95 per cent compared to a year earlier.