Passengers’ summer travel plans have been thrown into uncertainty as Air Canada’s unionized flight attendants have gone on strike following a dispute over pay, a move that signals disruption for more than 10,000 passengers.
Newsweek contacted Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) for comment via email outside regular working hours.
Why It Matters
Air Canada is the country’s largest carrier, and the strike is set to affect 130,000 travelers. The airline employs more than 40,000 people, with more than 250 aircraft traveling to 200 destinations in about 65 countries.
About 200 Air Canada flights are to the U.S., according to The Wall Street Journal. The strike comes as Canadians increasingly avoid the United States because of diplomatic tensions between the neighbors. With more Canadians taking vacations at home, Air Canada has seen extra pressure on domestic routes.
What To Know
On August 5, the Air Canada portion of CUPE, which represents more than 10,000 flight attendants, said in a news release that its members had voted 99.7 percent in favor of strike action if necessary over a pay dispute.
That strike action began on August 16, just before 1 a.m. ET, marking the first strike by the airline’s flight attendants since 1985. The union gave a 72-hour strike notice to Air Canada on Wednesday morning. The airline has moved to ground planes amid the peak summer holiday period.
Air Canada has said it will contact customers via text or email to let them know about affected travel and their options.
“For those customers due to travel soon whose flights are not yet canceled, Air Canada has put in place a goodwill policy to allow them to rebook their travel or obtain a credit for future travel,” the airline said in a news release.
Air Canada advised travelers not to go to the airport without a confirmed new booking.
“Air Canada deeply regrets the effect the strike is having on customers,” the airline said in the news release.
Flights by Air Canada Express, operated by a third-party airline, are not affected.
In a separate news release, Air Canada provided details about its offer to the union: “Under the proposal, which seeks no concessions, there is a 38 percent increase in total compensation over four years.”
The union said the offer failed to reflect inflation and did not sufficiently cover expenses.
What People Are Saying
Wesley Lesosky, the president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE, said in a news release: “For the past nine months, we have put forward solid, data-driven proposals on wages and unpaid work, all rooted in fairness and industry standards. Air Canada’s response to our proposals makes one thing clear: they are not interested in resolving these critical issues.”
Air Canada said in a statement: “Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge carry approximately 130,000 customers a day who could be affected by a disruption, this includes the 25,000 Canadians that the airline flies home from abroad each day, who could be stranded.”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen when the strike action will end.
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