Air Canada Canceling Flights Following Flight Attendant Lockout

Air Canada carries, on average, around 130,000 passengers over its network on a daily basis, including 430 daily flights to more than 50 airports in the United States. 

Air Canada will cancel thousands of flights this weekend, including a “complete cessation of flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge” on Saturday, after the company’s flight attendants voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike and the company responded by locking them out and cancelling flights. The lockout will not affect operations at Air Canada Express, whose flight attendants work under a separately negotiated contract. 

The airline is Canada’s largest by a wide margin, and the strike will have far-reaching implications for travelers in Canada and the United States. A statement on the airline’s website said the lockout was intended to “provide our customers with certainty.” Air Canada carries on average around 130,000 passengers over its network on a daily basis, including 430 daily flights to more than 50 airports in the United States. 

Air Canada is offering free changes to affected passengers, but notes that rebooking passengers may be difficult. “Available capacity on our airline and on other carriers is limited due to the summer travel peak, meaning the possibility of rebooking you within an acceptable timeframe is low,” read a notice on the company’s website. Travel credits—but not refunds—are being offered on nonrefundable tickets that are cancelled before the cancellation of the flight. Nonrefundable tickets will only be eligible for refund if the traveler waits until after the flight is cancelled. 

Negotiations between Air Canada management and their flight attendants remain at an impasse, with the two sides far apart on compensation. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents Air Canada Flight Attendants, notes that starting wages for its members have increased only 10% since the year 2000, while inflation for the same period is 169%, and average full-time wages across all sectors in Canada have increased 210%. CUPE further notes that Air Canada’s proposal to increase wages by 8% in the first year doesn’t keep pace with Canada’s projected inflation of 9%, effectively a pay cut. 

“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,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE. “Air Canada’s response to our proposals makes one thing clear: they are not interested in resolving these critical issues.”

Air Canada flight attendants have also taken issue with the fact that the airline continues not to pay them during boarding, before the aircraft door is closed for departure. Several flight attendant unions in the United States have recently won boarding pay for their members, settling an issue that has long been a sore spot for workers.

Air Canada disputes CUPE’s assertions on pay, saying that the 8% increase it calls out doesn’t include an up to 8% increase in the company’s new ground pay formula, which it calls industry-leading in Canada. The company puts the base pay range increase between 12% and 16%. Air Canada asserts that their proposal would make Air Canada’s flight attendants “the best compensated in Canada”.

In response to Air Canada’s proposal, Air Canada’s flight attendants voted 99.7% in favor of a strike on August 5. In a briefing note, CUPE noted that “Air Canada is one of Canada’s most profitable companies. They have posted billions in profits in recent years, and executive compensation has surpassed pre-COVID levels. They can afford to pay flight attendants fairly without raising costs to passengers.”

While Air Canada is the country’s largest airline, many services to the most remote parts of Canada, including Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, will remain operating because they are either operated by Air Canada’s regional affiliates or have competing service offered by carriers such as WestJet or Canadian North.

Air Canada also transports a significant number of U.S.-originating passengers to destinations beyond Canada. Travelers booked on an Air Canada flight to a destination beyond Canada should contact Air Canada for rebooking as soon as possible, as there may be space onboard other Star Alliance carriers without the need for a connecting flight via Canada. 

Travelers with tickets sold by Air Canada should contact Air Canada directly; travelers with tickets sold by other airlines that include Air Canada flights should contact the carrier they originally booked with. Travelers who purchased their tickets from a travel agent, including online travel agents, should contact their agency for assistance.