Air Canada Flights Grounded as Flight Attendants Strike

Air Canada has grounded all flights after its flight attendants initiated a 72-hour strike, leaving numerous travelers stranded or seeking alternative arrangements.

Air Canada has announced the suspension of all flights following a strike by its cabin crew, disrupting travel plans for around 130,000 passengers daily. The union representing over 10,000 flight attendants confirmed the industrial action would last 72 hours, commencing at 00:58 ET (04:58 GMT) on Saturday. Consequently, the airline strongly urged customers not to head to the airport unless they were flying with another airline.

The strike, which includes flights operated by the airline's budget arm Air Canada Rouge, is driven by demands for higher wages and compensation for time spent on the ground. Air Canada stated that it has already begun curtailing operations before the strike, projecting that approximately 500 flights would be impacted each day.

Passengers flocked to various airports in search of new reservations, as many were left in limbo. Air Canada, which maintains connections to 180 cities worldwide, expressed regret over the strike’s effects on its customers and confirmed that flights under Air Canada Jazz, PAL Airlines, and Air Canada Express remain unaffected.

As the situation escalated on Friday night, Air Canada canceled 623 flights ahead of the strike, affecting over 100,000 travelers. In negotiations, the airline offered a 38% increase in total compensation over four years, including a 25% raise in the first year. However, the union, CUPE, criticized the offer as inadequate, arguing it fell below inflation, market value, and even minimum wage, while also leaving flight attendants unpaid for hours of service performed before flights.

The back-and-forth between the union and Air Canada has been publicly contentious. Earlier in the month, an overwhelming 99.7% of employees represented by CUPE voted in favor of a strike. Canadian jobs minister Patty Hajdu encouraged both parties to return to the bargaining table to avert labor action, stating that Air Canada sought to have the conflict referred to binding arbitration.

CUPE has alleged that it has been negotiating in good faith for over eight months, but contended that Air Canada has instead sought government intervention instead of engaging in meaningful discussions. The union asserted, “When we stood strong together, Air Canada didn't come to the table in good faith.”