Air Canada to ground most flights amid looming flight attendant strike

Air Canada says it’s gradually shutting down operations ahead of a possible strike or lockout this weekend. More than 10,000 flight attendants could walk off the job on Saturday, August 16.

In a statement, Air Canada said it would “begin a phased wind down of most of its operations to be completed over the next three days” to give customers certainty. The carrier has also requested government-directed arbitration in an effort to resolve the dispute. The potential impact is significant, as Air Canada and its leisure subsidiary, Air Canada Rouge, transport around 130,000 passengers daily. This includes approximately 25,000 Canadians who are flown home from overseas each day and could be stranded if flights are disrupted.

While the majority of services will be halted, flights operated by regional partners Jazz and PAL will continue to run. The dispute centres on pay and working conditions. CUPE has stated that it is dissatisfied with Air Canada’s proposals for wage increases and other forms of compensation, and it has rejected the airline’s call to continue talks in arbitration.

Wesley Lesosky, President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE, criticised the company’s stance, saying: “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.”

The union alleges that the airline is “refusing to increase flight attendant wages to match industry standards, inflation, or even federal minimum wage,” pointing out that entry-level pay has risen by only CA$3 (US$2.17) per hour since 2000, while inflation has grown by 69%. Air Canada, however, maintains that it presented a new compensation package earlier in the week, which CUPE rejected. The standoff now leaves tens of thousands of passengers facing potential disruption and uncertainty in the coming days.