Hundreds of flights grounded as Air Canada cabin staff go on strike

11 hours ago 3

The onslaught could disrupt question plans for astatine slightest 100,000 passengers.

Published On 16 Aug 2025

Hundreds of flights person been grounded aft Air Canada’s unionised formation attendants went connected strike aft talks implicit an summation successful wages with the country’s largest bearer stalled.

“We are present officially connected strike,” the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents Air Canada’s 10,000 formation attendants, said successful a societal media station conscionable earlier 01:00 ET [05:00 GMT].

The hose said connected Saturday it had suspended each flights for Air Canada and its fund limb Air Canada Rouge owed to the strike, which is the archetypal since 1985.

“About 130,000 customers volition beryllium impacted each time that the onslaught continues,” Air Canada said successful a statement.

“Air Canada is powerfully advising affected customers not to spell to the airdrome unless they person a confirmed summons connected an hose different than Air Canada oregon Air Canada Rouge,” the hose added.

Flights for determination operators Air Canada Jazz and PAL Airlines would proceed to operate.

Air CanadaA formation committee is seen astatine the Montreal-Trudeau International Airport successful Quebec, Canada [File: AFP]

Air Canada had announced its latest wage connection to formation attendants successful a connection connected Thursday, specifying that nether the terms, a elder formation attendant would, connected average, marque CAN$87,000 ($65,000) per twelvemonth by 2027.

CUPE has, however, described the airline’s offers arsenic “below ostentation (and) beneath marketplace value”.

The national has besides rejected requests from the national authorities and Air Canada to resoluteness outstanding issues done autarkic arbitration.

In summation to wage increases, the national has said it besides wants to code uncompensated crushed work, including during the boarding process.

Rafael Gomez, who heads the University of Toronto’s Centre for Industrial Relations, told the AFP quality bureau that it is “common practice, adjacent astir the world” to compensate formation attendants based connected clip spent successful the air.

He said the national had built an effectual connection run astir the issue, creating a nationalist cognition of unfairness.

An mean passenger, not acquainted with communal manufacture practice, could think, “‘I’m waiting to committee the level and there’s a formation attendant helping me, but they’re technically not being paid for that work,'” helium said, speaking earlier the onslaught began.

“That’s a precise bully contented to highlight,” Gomez further said, adding that gains made by Air Canada employees could impact different carriers.

On Saturday, formation attendants volition picket large Canadian airports, wherever passengers person already been trying to unafraid caller bookings earlier successful the week, arsenic the bearer gradually coiled down operations.

Passenger Freddy Ramos, 24, told the Reuters quality bureau connected Friday astatine Canada’s largest airdrome successful Toronto that his earlier formation was cancelled owed to the labour quality and that helium had been rebooked by Air Canada to a antithetic destination.

“Probably 10 minutes anterior to boarding, our gross got changed, and past it was cancelled and past it was delayed and past it was cancelled again,” helium said.

Air CanadaTwo Air Canada planes are seen connected the tarmac of the Trudeau airdrome successful Montreal, Quebec, Canada [File: AFP]

Canadian businesses reeling from a trade dispute with the United States person urged the national authorities to enforce binding arbitration connected some sides, which would extremity the strike.

In a connection issued earlier the onslaught began, the Business Council of Canada warned that an Air Canada enactment stoppage could adhd further pain.

“At a clip erstwhile Canada is dealing with unprecedented pressures connected our captious economical proviso chains, the disruption of nationalist aerial rider question and cargo transport services would origin contiguous and extended harm to each Canadians,” it said.

Air Canada has asked Prime Minister Mark Carney’s number Liberal authorities to bid some sides into binding arbitration, though CUPE, which represents the attendants, said it opposed the move.

Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge usually transportation astir 130,000 customers a day. Air Canada is besides the busiest overseas bearer servicing the US by fig of scheduled flights.

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