Air Canada suspends flights as flight attendants go on strike

Air Canada has suspended all operations of both its mainline carrier and low-cost unit Air Canada Rouge after more than 10,000 flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) went on strike early Saturday (August 16).

The work stoppage, which began at 12:58 a.m. ET, is affecting around 130,000 passengers per day, according to the airline. Flights operated by partner carriers Air Canada Jazz and PAL Airlines under the Air Canada Express brand remain unaffected.

“Air Canada deeply regrets the effect the strike is having on customers,” the airline said in a statement, urging passengers not to go to the airport unless they hold confirmed tickets with another airline.

The strike, the first by Air Canada flight attendants since 1985, comes during the peak summer travel season. The core issue is compensation: attendants are currently only paid when the aircraft is moving, and the union is demanding pay for ground duties such as boarding and disembarking passengers.

Offer rejected

Air Canada said it had offered a 38% increase in overall compensation over four years, including a 25% raise in the first year, along with partial pay for ground work. CUPE rejected the offer as insufficient.

The airline has asked Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government to impose binding arbitration to end the strike. However, the Labour Minister has continued to press both sides to return to negotiations.

Meanwhile, travelers across major Canadian airports in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are facing mass cancellations and long rebooking lines.

The airline has a fleet of 216 aircraft, comprising 131 narrowbodies such as the Airbus A220, the A320 family, and the Boeing 737, as well as 85 widebodies such as the A330, 777, and 787.

Canada’s largest carrier serves nearly 200 domestic and international destinations.

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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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