Air Canada has cancelled flights as a strike looms. Here's what it means
Hundreds of flights are expected to be cancelled by the end of the week if the flight attendants walk off their jobs as expected.
Air Canada and the flight attendants' union have struggled to agree upon a deal that would increase compensation for the airline workers.
Here is what we know about the labour dispute and its potential consequences:
What is happening to Air Canada?
The Montreal-based airline has reached an impasse with the union representing more than 10,500 flight attendants in a dispute over compensation, despite eight months of negotiations. Both the company and the union have issued notices that disruptions to the airline's services will begin on Saturday.
What services will be affected, and when?
Air Canada said it will reduce flights gradually over three days, starting with dozens of cancellations on Thursday and about 500 more by Friday evening. By 1am Toronto time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday, all flights will be halted.
Cargo services will also be affected, but Air Canada Express regional flights will operate as usual, as they rely on contracts with other airlines.
However, these partners handle only about 20 percent of Air Canada's daily passengers. Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, a subsidiary that offers low-cost flights, carry roughly 130,000 passengers a day.
In response to the walkout anticipated for early Saturday, Air Canada has announced its own 'lockout', a strategy that prevents employees from coming into work in order to force them to the negotiating table.
The airline has warned that once the lockout begins, about 1:30am Toronto time (05:30 GMT), it may not be able to quickly restore flights.
Mark Nasr, the chief operations officer for Air Canada, explained that a restart, 'under the best circumstances, will take a full week to complete'.
Why are flight attendants striking?
Wages are the main sticking point in the negotiations.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said its negotiators are unhappy with Air Canada's proposed wage hikes and other compensation terms, and they have therefore turned down an offer to move the contract discussions into arbitration.
'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, in a statement. 'Air Canada's response to our proposals makes one thing clear: they are not interested in resolving these critical issues.'
According to the union, the airline declined to raise flight attendant pay to meet industry standards, keep pace with inflation or match the federal minimum wage.
Since 2000, starting wages for flight attendants with Air Canada have risen only $3 per hour, while inflation has climbed 69 percent over the same period, the union explained.
We stand in solidarity with Air Canada flight attendants who are done with unpaid work and poverty wages!📢 Fair pay. Dignity on the job. No more excuses!Read more → https://t.co/YqVQEwTbpC#aircanadastrike
— CUPE Ontario (@CUPEOntario) August 12, 2025
Air Canada, however, said the union turned down a proposal sent on Monday that included a 38-percent pay increase over four years, along with other benefits and protections.
But the union disputed the benefits of that deal. Instead, it explained that the flight attendants suffered a 9-percent cut in their last contract, meaning that an 8-percent increase over the first year of the new deal is inadequate to recoup the costs.
'It is, in effect, a pay cut,' CUPE said in its statement.
The union also argues that Air Canada does not currently offer 'ground pay', an industry term that describes compensation given for all the services provided before a plane's doors close.
That work can include assistance given to travellers in the airport, baggage handling and helping travellers get settled in their seats as the plane prepares to push back from the airport gate.
'[For] any of our federally regulated safety checks, which we do an hour before boarding, we are not compensated. We are not compensated for boarding and deplaning,' Shanyn Elliott, the chair of the CUPE strike committee, told the news outlet Global National.
'It averages about 35 hours a month that we are at work not paid.'
The union said that it is seeking full pay for all hours worked, along with cost-of-living increases.
Ground pay, also called 'boarding pay', has been a key issue in negotiations at US airlines as well, since many carriers do not compensate flight attendants at their hourly rate during crucial periods before or after the flight.
How many passengers will be affected, and what will they get in return?
The airline, which serves 64 countries with a fleet of 259 aircraft, said the shutdown poses 'a major risk' to both the company and its employees. The disruption could impact 130,000 passengers each day, including 25,000 Canadians, during the height of the summer travel season.
Air Canada has nearly 430 daily flights between Canada and the US, reaching more than 50 US airports. It also provides domestic service to 50 Canadian airports and averages more than 500 daily flights.
The airlines said that passengers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and can receive a full refund online.
The airline has also arranged with other Canadian and international carriers to offer alternative travel options where possible. But it emphasised that some flight alternatives may not be feasible.
'Given other carriers are already very full due to the summer travel peak, securing such capacity will take time and, in many cases, will not be immediately possible,' the airline explained.
How has the government responded?
Air Canada has said it has sought government-directed arbitration to resolve the situation.
Under Canada's Labour Code, the government's labour minister has the power to intervene and trigger the imposition of a deal through the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
That, in turn, could force flight attendants back to work. The union has asked Canada's PM Mark Carney 'to refrain from intervening'. It argued that government action would tip the negotiations in Air Canada's favour.
'Why would any employer bother negotiating if they know the government is going to bail them out when negotiations get tough?' the union wrote in a letter posted to social media.
Canada's Labour Minister Patty Hajdu urged both sides to return to the bargaining table. 'To be clear: deals that are made at the bargaining table are the best ones,' Hajdu said.
'I urge both parties to put their differences aside, come back to the bargaining table and get this done now for the many travellers who are counting on you,' she added.
Please see my statement on the latest development between CUPE Flight Attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada: pic.twitter.com/hqQJ5JDYkN
— Patty Hajdu (@PattyHajdu) August 14, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
6 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Air Canada has cancelled flights as a strike looms. Here's what it means
Air Canada, the country's largest airline, started suspending flights on Thursday morning ahead of a potential strike by its flight attendants. Hundreds of flights are expected to be cancelled by the end of the week if the flight attendants walk off their jobs as expected. Air Canada and the flight attendants' union have struggled to agree upon a deal that would increase compensation for the airline workers. Here is what we know about the labour dispute and its potential consequences: What is happening to Air Canada? The Montreal-based airline has reached an impasse with the union representing more than 10,500 flight attendants in a dispute over compensation, despite eight months of negotiations. Both the company and the union have issued notices that disruptions to the airline's services will begin on Saturday. What services will be affected, and when? Air Canada said it will reduce flights gradually over three days, starting with dozens of cancellations on Thursday and about 500 more by Friday evening. By 1am Toronto time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday, all flights will be halted. Cargo services will also be affected, but Air Canada Express regional flights will operate as usual, as they rely on contracts with other airlines. However, these partners handle only about 20 percent of Air Canada's daily passengers. Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, a subsidiary that offers low-cost flights, carry roughly 130,000 passengers a day. In response to the walkout anticipated for early Saturday, Air Canada has announced its own 'lockout', a strategy that prevents employees from coming into work in order to force them to the negotiating table. The airline has warned that once the lockout begins, about 1:30am Toronto time (05:30 GMT), it may not be able to quickly restore flights. Mark Nasr, the chief operations officer for Air Canada, explained that a restart, 'under the best circumstances, will take a full week to complete'. Why are flight attendants striking? Wages are the main sticking point in the negotiations. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said its negotiators are unhappy with Air Canada's proposed wage hikes and other compensation terms, and they have therefore turned down an offer to move the contract discussions into arbitration. '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, in a statement. 'Air Canada's response to our proposals makes one thing clear: they are not interested in resolving these critical issues.' According to the union, the airline declined to raise flight attendant pay to meet industry standards, keep pace with inflation or match the federal minimum wage. Since 2000, starting wages for flight attendants with Air Canada have risen only $3 per hour, while inflation has climbed 69 percent over the same period, the union explained. We stand in solidarity with Air Canada flight attendants who are done with unpaid work and poverty wages!📢 Fair pay. Dignity on the job. No more excuses!Read more → — CUPE Ontario (@CUPEOntario) August 12, 2025 Air Canada, however, said the union turned down a proposal sent on Monday that included a 38-percent pay increase over four years, along with other benefits and protections. But the union disputed the benefits of that deal. Instead, it explained that the flight attendants suffered a 9-percent cut in their last contract, meaning that an 8-percent increase over the first year of the new deal is inadequate to recoup the costs. 'It is, in effect, a pay cut,' CUPE said in its statement. The union also argues that Air Canada does not currently offer 'ground pay', an industry term that describes compensation given for all the services provided before a plane's doors close. That work can include assistance given to travellers in the airport, baggage handling and helping travellers get settled in their seats as the plane prepares to push back from the airport gate. '[For] any of our federally regulated safety checks, which we do an hour before boarding, we are not compensated. We are not compensated for boarding and deplaning,' Shanyn Elliott, the chair of the CUPE strike committee, told the news outlet Global National. 'It averages about 35 hours a month that we are at work not paid.' The union said that it is seeking full pay for all hours worked, along with cost-of-living increases. Ground pay, also called 'boarding pay', has been a key issue in negotiations at US airlines as well, since many carriers do not compensate flight attendants at their hourly rate during crucial periods before or after the flight. How many passengers will be affected, and what will they get in return? The airline, which serves 64 countries with a fleet of 259 aircraft, said the shutdown poses 'a major risk' to both the company and its employees. The disruption could impact 130,000 passengers each day, including 25,000 Canadians, during the height of the summer travel season. Air Canada has nearly 430 daily flights between Canada and the US, reaching more than 50 US airports. It also provides domestic service to 50 Canadian airports and averages more than 500 daily flights. The airlines said that passengers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and can receive a full refund online. The airline has also arranged with other Canadian and international carriers to offer alternative travel options where possible. But it emphasised that some flight alternatives may not be feasible. 'Given other carriers are already very full due to the summer travel peak, securing such capacity will take time and, in many cases, will not be immediately possible,' the airline explained. How has the government responded? Air Canada has said it has sought government-directed arbitration to resolve the situation. Under Canada's Labour Code, the government's labour minister has the power to intervene and trigger the imposition of a deal through the Canada Industrial Relations Board. That, in turn, could force flight attendants back to work. The union has asked Canada's PM Mark Carney 'to refrain from intervening'. It argued that government action would tip the negotiations in Air Canada's favour. 'Why would any employer bother negotiating if they know the government is going to bail them out when negotiations get tough?' the union wrote in a letter posted to social media. Canada's Labour Minister Patty Hajdu urged both sides to return to the bargaining table. 'To be clear: deals that are made at the bargaining table are the best ones,' Hajdu said. 'I urge both parties to put their differences aside, come back to the bargaining table and get this done now for the many travellers who are counting on you,' she added. Please see my statement on the latest development between CUPE Flight Attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada: — Patty Hajdu (@PattyHajdu) August 14, 2025
Al Jazeera
10 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Trump administration sanctions two Mexican drug cartels, announces bounties
The United States Treasury Department has revealed it is sanctioning two Mexican drug cartels, Carteles Unidos and Los Viagras, and seven affiliated individuals on allegations of 'terrorism'. The Treasury Department announced the sanctions on Thursday. Separately, the Justice Department stated it was charging five high-ranking members of Carteles Unidos with crimes related to drug trafficking. 'These actions further President Donald Trump's directive to completely eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations threatening the American people,' the Treasury said in a social media post. In a statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explained that the sanctions would help the US government hamstring the cartel's ability to generate revenue, including through cross-border commerce. 'Today's sanctions action draws further attention to the diverse, insidious ways the cartels engage in violent activities and exploit otherwise legitimate commerce,' Bessent said. Both Carteles Unidos and Los Viagras are said to be active in the Mexican state of Michoacan, where the Treasury said that they use funds from drug trafficking to hire mercenaries, bribe officials and buy weapons. Thursday's sanctions will freeze any US-based assets the targeted individuals may have, and people in the US are prohibited from making transactions with them. The Trump administration has pledged to take a hard line against criminal groups and those involved in drug trafficking, including by labelling some Latin American criminal networks as 'foreign terrorist organisations'. Experts, however, have questioned the efficacy of such steps and raised fears that they could backfire, penalising nonprofits and civilians who live and work in gang-controlled territory. Also on Thursday, the Department of Justice announced that it was offering rewards for information leading to the arrests of Carteles Unidos leader Juan Jose Farias Alvarez, also known as 'El Abuelo' or 'The Grandfather', as well as Alfonso Fernandez Magallon, Luis Enrique Barragan Chavez, Edgar Orozco Cabadas and Nicolas Sierra Santana. They are charged with participation in a conspiracy to manufacture and distribute drugs for importation to the US. Altogether, the rewards totalled $26m, with the highest single bounty offered for Farias Alvarez, at $10m. Earlier this week, the Mexican government sent 26 suspected cartel members to the US to face charges, the second such transfer this year. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasised that the transfer was a 'sovereign decision' she undertook, but critics have expressed concern that the US has been exerting increasing pressure on her government to bend to its will. Last week, for example, US media reported that Trump signed an order authorising the US military to carry out operations against cartels and other criminal groups, a move that Mexican politicians have warned could result in US troops on Mexican soil. That, critics warn, would constitute a serious violation of the country's sovereignty. Sheinbaum, however, attempted to dispel concerns in a news conference: 'There will be no invasion of Mexico,' she said. Mexico, meanwhile, has also called on the US to take greater steps to restrict the massive flow of weapons from sellers and manufacturers north of the border. Mexican authorities and other experts have argued that those weapons fuel the violence committed by criminal groups. But the US has rebuffed such efforts, and in June, the US Supreme Court struck down a lawsuit from the Mexican government arguing that the flow of illicit firearms constituted negligence.
Al Jazeera
11 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Air Canada plans to cancel 500 flights by Friday as cabin crew strike looms
Air Canada says it is at an impasse with its negotiations with the union representing its flight attendants and has announced that it will be pausing all its flights on Saturday morning. Air Canada said on Thursday it expects to cancel several dozen flights by day's end and approximately 500 flights by the end of Friday, affecting 100,0000 passengers, in advance of a planned Saturday strike by its unionised flight attendants. The Air Canada executives were speaking at a news conference that ended abruptly due to protests by union members donning placards. Mark Nasr, chief operations officer at Air Canada, said the complexity of the carrier's network, which operates more than 250 aircraft on flights to more than 65 countries, requires it to start winding down service now. A strike would hit the country's tourism sector during the height of summer travel and poses a new test for the governing Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney, which has been asked by the carrier to intervene and impose arbitration. Air Canada and low-cost carrier Air Canada Rouge carry about 130,000 customers a day. Air Canada is also the foreign carrier with the largest number of flights to the US. US carrier United Airlines, a code-share partner of Air Canada, said it has issued a travel waiver to help customers manage their travel plans. Half of hourly rate for hours worked The dispute hinges on the way airlines compensate flight attendants. Most airlines have traditionally paid attendants only when planes are in motion. But in their latest contract negotiations, flight attendants in North America have sought compensation for hours worked, including for tasks like boarding passengers and waiting around the airport before and between flights. The union said Air Canada had offered to begin compensating flight attendants for some unpaid work, but only at 50 percent of their hourly rate. The airline said it had offered a 38 percent increase in total compensation for flight attendants over four years, with a 25 percent raise in the first year. Restarting Air Canada's operations would take a week to complete, Nasr told reporters in Toronto. 'It's simply not the kind of system that we can start or stop at the push of a button,' he said. 'So in order to have a safe and orderly wind down, we need to begin down.' FlightAware data shows Air Canada has, thus far, cancelled only four flights as of Thursday morning. Earlier in the day, Canadian Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu urged the country's largest carrier and union to return to the bargaining table to reach a deal that could avert disruptions. 'I understand this dispute is causing a great deal of frustration and anxiety to Canadians who are travelling or worrying about how they will get home,' she said in a statement posted on X. 'I urge both parties to put their differences aside, come back to the bargaining table and get this done now for the many travelers who are counting on you.' A spokesperson for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the carrier's 10,000 flight attendants, said Air Canada negotiators are not bargaining and have not responded to a proposal they made earlier this week. 'We believe the company wants the federal government to intervene and bail them out.' CUPE has previously said it opposes binding arbitration. Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, chief human resources officer at Air Canada, said the carrier never left the table. 'We are still available to bargain at any time on the condition that the negotiation has substance,' she said.
