Air Canada flight attendants defy back-to-work order, continue strike
Oci Mara and her husband were supposed to fly home to Montreal at around 1 a.m. Monday, but their flights were cancelled due to the strike. Unable to get through by phone, they went to the airport to speak with Air Canada agents in person.
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'It's a terrible situation. It's so frustrating,' Mara said, adding that her husband needs to be back in Montreal for work on Monday.
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Mara said they were told that if they booked seats with another airline, Air Canada would only refund the cost of their original tickets.
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'We have no idea what we're going to do,' she said.
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While she sympathizes with flight attendants fighting for fair pay, Mara said the strike has left passengers struggling to make alternate travel arrangements.
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'I understand people have to fight for their rights to get paid,' she said. 'Unfortunately, there's a lot of problems for us (as a result).'
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Air Canada said it will provide travellers with cancelled flights options such as full refunds or credit for future travel. 'The carrier will also offer to rebook customers on other carriers, although capacity is currently limited due to the peak summer travel season,' the airline said in a statement.
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Flight attendants spent Saturday picketing at the Calgary International Airport, where travellers continued their efforts to salvage travel plans disrupted by the work stoppage.
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Air Canada, which locked out its flight attendants shortly after their strike began, had planned for flights to resume Sunday evening with a gradual ramp-up over the coming days, the Montreal-based airline said in a statement. Whenever service restarts, it will take several days before operations return to normal.
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The airline previously said the walkout would disrupt some 130,000 passengers a day during the summer holiday season.
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The Canada Industrial Relations Board directed Air Canada to resume airline operations and for all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to return to work by 2 p.m. ET, according to the airline's statement early Sunday.
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The move came after Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu directed the independent CIRB to order a resumption of operations and to impose binding arbitration to resolve a standoff over contract negotiations.
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The Liberal government's back-to-work order was criticized by the government's political opponents on Saturday.
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Federal Conservative Labour critic Kyle Seeback called the move an attack on flight attendants.
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'No worker — federally regulated or otherwise — should be forced, especially by the government, to work without being paid. Yet, that is exactly what flight attendants are being ordered to do,' he said in a written statement, while urging the federal Liberals to pass a Conservative-sponsored bill that would ensure flight attendants are paid for all hours worked.
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Meanwhile, Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the Air Canada labour dispute should be resolved at the negotiating table.
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National Post
30 minutes ago
- National Post
Jesse Kline: Air Canada strike brought to you by the Liberal government
For years, the Liberals have worked to increase the power of Canada's labour unions, and the monster they created is now coming back to bite them as Air Canada's flight attendants walk off the job, grounding hundreds of flights. But Ottawa can start to fix the mess it created by opening the airline market to more competition, thus lessening the impact that strikes have on consumers. Article content Article content It's no coincidence that the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents more than 10,000 Air Canada employees, chose this moment to go on strike and throw the country's air transportation network into chaos. Article content Article content Article content The contract between the airline and its flight attendants ended in March, but the union waited until the height of the summer travel season to walk off the job, in a move that has so far affected around 500,000 travellers. Article content Thanks to legislation passed last year that banned the use of replacement workers in federally regulated industries, including air travel, the union knew the airline would have little recourse if its members hit the picket line. And given the Liberals' penchant for intervening in labour disputes, CUPE could also be fairly certain the government would try to order the striking flight attendants back to work, after doing so in disputes involving Canada's major railways and postal service last year. Article content And so it was that after Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu ordered the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to force the flight attendants back to work and send the parties to binding arbitration on Saturday, Mark Hancock, CUPE's national president, tore up the back-to-work order and vowed to challenge it. Article content Article content On Monday morning, the CIRB declared the strike 'unlawful' and ordered workers back on the job 'immediately.' As of this writing, it's unclear whether the union intends to continue to defy the mandate. Article content Article content The situation highlights the catch-22 the Liberals now find themselves in: their interventionist, pro-labour policies have reduced the incentive for unions to settle disputes at the bargaining table, forcing Ottawa to step in to alleviate the resulting political headache caused by major disruptions in markets that are dominated by a few large players. Article content It's a classic case of the state stepping in with Big Government policies to fix problems caused by other interventionist measures. But it's also an opportunity for the Liberals to read the room and enact reforms that will attract foreign investment, make the country more competitive and reduce prices for consumers. Article content To do that, the government should follow the advice of its own Competition Bureau, which released a report in the spring advocating for more competition in Canada's airline market. Article content To be sure, there have been some noticeable improvements in recent years. According to the competition watchdog, thanks to upstart airlines like Porter and Flair, market concentration dropped by 10 per cent between 2019 and 2023. Article content But Air Canada and WestJet still account for between 56 and 78 per cent of all domestic passenger traffic departing from Canada's major airports. This is a direct result of government policies that favour incumbent carriers, increase costs and limit foreign ownership and competition. Article content One of the major barriers faced by new airlines, according to the Competition Bureau, is the high cost of government taxes and fees that are tacked onto ticket prices. Article content Some of them are designed to ensure the cost of running Canada's air transportation network is paid by travellers, which makes perfect sense. But ticket prices are also affected by fuel taxes and high airport fees, which Ottawa simply treats as a cash cow. Article content This assertion is backed up by research released Monday by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), which found that the exorbitant rents the federal government charges airport authorities is significantly driving up the cost of air travel. Article content Article content According to MEI, airports sent Ottawa close to $500 million in rental fees last year, which is up 68 per cent since 2014. Article content All told, the think tank found that the average airport improvement fee paid in Canada is four times higher than in the United States. Airport security charges and fuel taxes are also far higher in Canada than in peer countries, such as the U.S. and Australia. Article content These costs make it harder for discount carriers to compete based on price. The Competition Bureau says that taxes and fees constitute 30 per cent of the ticket price on major carriers, but that those 'costs take up an even higher share of what passengers pay for flights on ultra-low-cost carriers,' which makes them less profitable. Article content New carriers are also constrained by airport procedures, which often favour incumbents. Smaller, secondary airports in major cities can provide consumers and airlines with more options, but are hamstrung by the size of their runways and legal restrictions that only allow one international airport in certain regions. Article content Article content A good example is Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport, which is often cheaper and more convenient than Pearson Airport, but was prevented from hosting long-haul flights when the Liberals kiboshed plans to extend its runway to accommodate passenger jets in 2015. 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Toronto Star
31 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
CUPE pushes on with Air Canada strike in defiance of order, says defending rights
TORONTO - It's still not clear when Air Canada might start flying again as the flight attendants union resolved Monday to push on with a strike but the airline expressed hope that it could get planes off the ground Tuesday. Flight attendants were supposed to stop striking Monday after the Canada Industrial Relations Board ruled the labour action unlawful, after the federal government used Section 107 of the Labour Code to force the two sides into binding arbitration.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Air Canada passengers share frustrations after strike leaves them stranded in different parts of the world
Air Canada customer Kyla Kumar on the difficulties contacting Air Canada after her flight home from Lisbon, Portugal was cancelled. Frustrated Canadian travellers are stranded after Air Canada flight attendants went on strike over the weekend following the breakdown of talks between the airline and the union. More than 150 travellers reached out to CTV News with complaints that ranged from frustration over lack of communication, spending hours on hold in an attempt to get some answers, or spending thousands in dollars to book alternative flights to get to their destination. Ottawa ordered the more than 10,000 flight attendants back to work but the union representing them defied the federal government's order over the weekend and launched a legal challenge instead. On Monday morning, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) declared the strike unlawful and ordered union leaders to tell its members to return to work. Here are some of the accounts from travellers who wrote to us. We have not independently verified nor corroborated their accounts. Play Canadian stranded in Rome receiving 'absolutely no feedback' from Air Canada Air Canada customer Cosimo Di Lecce says the time he and his family have been left stranded Rome has cost him $2,500 so far. 'Extremely expensive' alternatives Oleg Navitski of Vaughan, Ont., said Air Canada cancelled his flight from Greece to Toronto on Monday because of the strike. He said the airline sent him a text message saying it was unable to rebook his family of three on another flight back to Toronto after searching for flights on more than 120 airlines. It then provided refund options. He said they were essentially on their own, with alternatives that are 'extremely expensive' and not available until four or five days later. 'My primary concern is who is going to pay for this,' he wrote in an email to on Monday. He said his insurance doesn't cover labour disputes or related expenses, including missing working days and additional nights at hotels. 'They are simply unreachable' Joel Kazmi of Oakville, Ont., said he and his wife tried calling Air Canada at least 25 times in total to try to rebook their cancelled flight home from Paris, but they didn't have luck reaching anyone. He said he, his wife and two children were scheduled to fly back to Canada from Paris on Sunday but the airline cancelled the flight at the last minute because of the strike. 'They are simply unreachable,' he wrote in an email to on Monday. The airline did respond through a private message in social media, he said, but 'blatantly refused' to book him on an alternative flight. Woman books flight home at double the cost Zahid Pervez said he and his wife Shabana are staying at their relatives' home in Frankfurt, Germany after their flight home to Toronto was cancelled at the last minute. The couple were in Germany for a week and a half for their nephew's wedding on Sunday and were supposed to fly back to Toronto on Monday. However, he said he learned of the flight cancellation at the airport Monday despite receiving confirmation a day before that his flight was proceeding. 'I don't know what happened and then I went to the airport and there are big lines, almost 350 people,' Pervez said in a video interview with on Monday from Germany. 'I don't know what can I do.' He said he decided not to wait in line to get the hotel voucher Air Canada offered him and other passengers with cancelled flights because of the strike. He said that his diabetes medicine is finished and he was supposed to work as a truck driver Tuesday. Pervez said Air Canada told him there were no alternative flights available and he would have to wait until a seat opens up, which could take days. But his daughter Sundus said she found them a flight herself through another airline that leaves Thursday, paying double the price at more than $4,600 for two tickets, which she said Air Canada should be paying them. 'Still madly in love and stuck in Rome' Lynne MacNeil said she and her husband Greg were on their 12-day honeymoon in Italy and expecting to fly back to Toronto on Sunday. She said they were able to check in online and receive boarding passes as the flight showed it was scheduled and online on the Air Canada app. 'Other than an email to say the flight has been cancelled, Air Canada has made no attempts to help us with our return flights,' she wrote in an email to on Sunday. MacNeil said they called the customer service line but only received a voice automated message that said they are unable to help 'due to extreme volumes of calls' and were directed to their website. She said their travel consultant was also unable to connect with Air Canada. She said she was disheartened about what she called Air Canada's 'blanket disregard' for their customers. She ended her email writing: 'Still madly in love and stuck in Rome.' Air Canada strike: Emily Pringle in Mexico Emily Pringle from Oshawa, Ont., says she and her three friends have to pay out-of-pocket to extend their stay at a resort in Mexico because of the Air Canada strike. (Emily Pringle) Out of medication and paying out of pocket Emily Pringle of Oshawa, Ont., said she and her three friends were vacationing in Mexico on a 'moms getaway' when they learned Saturday that their flight home was cancelled because of the strike. Pringle said they scrambled to find accommodations and plans to get home. While Air Canada said the earliest flight available is Friday, she said they are now stuck and paying out-of-pocket for additional nights at the resort and one of her friends is out of her diabetes and blood pressure medication. 'I'm sure to many an extended stay in Mexico sounds lovely, but we all have families and obligations at home we need to get back to, and some of us are running out of our much needed medication,' she wrote in an email Saturday. Airline passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs said Air Canada is obligated under regulations to provide a refund or book passengers on alternative flights no matter the cost if there is a strike.
