Air Canada delays restart as flight attendants refuse return-to-work order

Air Canada was forced to suspend its plan to resume flights on Sunday after the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the airline’s flight attendants, directed its members not to comply with a government-backed order to return to work.

The decision came less than 24 hours after the carrier had announced the gradual restart of services, following a directive from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) that ended both the strike and the company’s lockout.

According to the airline, about 240 flights that were scheduled to operate on Sunday had to be cancelled, adding to the more than 700 cancellations since operations were halted on August 16.

In a statement, Air Canada said it now expects to begin resuming flights only on Monday evening, with a progressive ramp-up over the following days. Until then, passengers are being advised not to go to airports unless they have confirmed bookings with other airlines.

Customers affected by cancellations are being offered refunds, travel credits or rebooking on other carriers, though available capacity remains limited during the peak summer season.

Regional operations carried out by Air Canada Express partners Jazz and PAL are continuing normally.

The unprecedented defiance of a CIRB directive has heightened uncertainty for thousands of travelers and raised questions about potential legal consequences for the union. The Canadian government had invoked Section 107 of the Labour Code to impose binding arbitration in order to protect the country’s transport network and economy.

Air Canada said it “deeply regrets” the disruption and is working to restore its schedule once cabin crew return to duty.

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Ricardo Meier

Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.

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