Concerns rise in Winnipeg as Air Canada labour dispute could see flights grounded
Newfoundland resident Paula Drover, who travels back and forth between the East Coast and Winnipeg every two weeks for her job, was boarding a plane home at Winnipeg's airport on Wednesday.
She said she and many of her co-workers are concerned about whether they will be able to continue to make the trips she says are an integral part of their jobs.
"We have to travel," Drover said. "I have to work and I'm needed at work, so I kinda want to get here.
"It's going to be work-impacting for sure."
Air Canada said on Wednesday it will begin cancelling flights on Thursday ahead of a potential strike that could see more than 10,000 flight attendants walk off the job this weekend.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees gave the carrier a requisite 72-hour strike notice overnight after the two sides reached an impasse in negotiations on Tuesday.
Should they walk off the job, the country's largest airline says there would be a gradual suspension of flights, before a complete cessation of flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge by the weekend.
About 130,000 customers a day could be affected by a disruption, according to Air Canada.
Despite her concerns however, Drover says she would support the workers if they do end up on strike.
"They deserve fair wages, they work hard," she said. "I fly quite often and they deal with a lot during a flight."
Debbie Iwanchuk from Oakbank was travelling from Winnipeg to Scotland on Wednesday for a three-week trip, but said she is now concerned about whether or not she can get back, depending on how long a strike could last.
"We've been planning this for six months. I just heard about two weeks ago, so I started to worry about it, and now it looks like it's going to be a strike starting this week," she said.
While in Scotland, she said her and her husband will likely be glued to their phones, trying to get the latest updates on the labour dispute before they are scheduled to return.
"We'll be checking. I'm sure we'll be able to look through our phones and get the updates on the news and whatever because we have a plan that covers our roaming charges, so we'll be checking."
Despite her concerns she said she is in favour of a strike if that's what it takes for flight attendants to get the agreement they are looking for.
"I'm all for them getting what they want, upgraded wages and benefits," Iwanchuk said.
"They deserve it."
CUPE representatives said in response to their strike action, Air Canada issued a notice of lockout to start at 1:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. Air Canada confirmed the lockout on Wednesday.
"We regret the impact a disruption will have on our customers, our stakeholders and the communities we serve," Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau said in a statement.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Delonix Group Deepens Southeast Asia Expansion with Strategic Model J Deployment in Indonesia
Merging Chinese Hospitality Expertise with Indonesia's Growth Markets, Delonix sets a new standard for business travel experiences SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Delonix Group, a leading force in Asia-Pacific's hospitality and experiential consumption sector, announced the official debut of its business travel brand Model J in the prime business district of BSD, Tangerang, Greater Jakarta. This marks a pivotal step in the Group's Southeast Asia strategy, demonstrating its ability to execute high-efficiency hospitality deployments in core growth corridors. Following the successful launch of Model J Hotel Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport, this new deployment strengthens Delonix's regional presence and underscores its long-term commitment to reshaping the Southeast Asian hospitality landscape through structured innovation and deeply localized brand execution. Through the launch of Model J BSD, Delonix is introducing its Betterwood loyalty platform to a broader Indonesian market, offering millions of members intelligent, reliable, and brand-driven travel services. In a departure from conventional, spending-based loyalty models, Betterwood pioneers an industry-first approach that calculates loyalty points based on length of stay rather than spending amount—shifting the focus from how much guests spend to how much time they spend with the brand. This equitable framework not only reinforces long-term, brand-led relationships, but also sets a new benchmark for business travel experiences across the region. Beyond capital investment, Delonix delivers a comprehensive, integrated operating framework—encompassing its proprietary AI large language model, proven service methodologies, and organizational capabilities validated at scale in the Chinese market. With this launch, these capabilities have been localized to provide sustainable momentum for talent development and service standardization within Indonesia's hospitality sector. "From operations to product to returns, everything at Delonix is built for clarity, scalability, and efficiency," said Alex Zheng, Executive Chairman & CEO of Delonix Group, "Our focus isn't just to build better hotels, but to deliver a fully integrated, end-to-end travel experience — one that is smoother, smarter, warmer, and more reliable. This capability goes far beyond technology. It's the result of years of system-level thinking and operational excellence. By bringing China's most mature hospitality frameworks to rapidly growing markets like Indonesia, we aim to raise the regional standard of travel — and create lasting societal value." Delonix's global expansion strategy is grounded in a dual mission: to achieve commercial excellence while catalyzing systemic upgrades in local hospitality infrastructure. Rather than prioritizing short-term gains, the Group focuses on long-term structural value creation — turning operational expertise into scalable, sustainable growth. In Indonesia, Delonix has taken an equity position in Indies Hospitality Investments(IHI), the nation's largest hotel management platform, securing controlling stakes in both Swiss-Belhotel and Artotel. In parallel, Delonix has expanded strategic collaborations with global hospitality leaders, including Marriott. Together, these initiatives fuse global synergies with deep local market insight and digital innovation—enhancing cross-market agility and reinforcing the strategic resilience required to accelerate Delonix's growth across Southeast Asia. About Delonix Group Delonix Group is a leading international hospitality and experiential consumption group in the Asia-Pacific region. Ranked 14th globally, the Group partnered with Marriott to launch the world's first dual-branded luxury property—MajesTang Hotel • A Tribute Portfolio Hotel—while independently creating MaisonLee, a Tang-inspired premium business travel brand. As one of the first Chinese hotel groups to expand overseas, Delonix has established a presence in high-potential markets such as Japan and Indonesia, now spanning more than 200 cities worldwide. Its portfolio encompasses Swiss-Belhotel, Artotel, Model J, hotel MONday, and other brands, positioning the Group at the forefront of building a new-generation global platform for high-end hospitality and culturally immersive travel. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Delonix Group Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Air Canada Starts Canceling Flights: What To Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants are due to go on strike in the early hours of Saturday over a pay dispute, bringing travel chaos to hundreds of thousands of customers at the height of the summer vacation season. The airline says it has begun canceling flights as it prepares for a shutdown. Why It Matters Air Canada has more than 40,000 employees, with more than 250 aircraft traveling to 200 destinations in over 65 countries. The flight attendants' strike will affect more than 130,000 customers a day—including 25,000 Canadians daily who are attempting to come home from abroad—and now at risk of being stranded, the airline said. The strike comes as more Canadians are avoiding the United States this year because of diplomatic tensions and taking vacations at home, putting extra pressure on Air Canada's domestic routes. Passengers wait at an Air Canada check-in counter at Pearson International Airport on August 14 in Toronto. Passengers wait at an Air Canada check-in counter at Pearson International Airport on August 14 in To Know Mark Nasr, Air Canada's chief operations officer, said that cancellations would go from "several dozens" on Thursday, to some 500 by the end of Friday, to the airline being "completely grounded" at the start of the strike on Saturday, in the absence of a resolution. "The impact that this is going to have on our customers is profound and we are going to do everything possible to support them through it," Nasr said at a news conference. "Air Canada is a very complex system … It's simply not the kind of system we can start or stop at the push of a button. So in order to have a safe and orderly wind down, we need to begin now. That includes a first set of cancellations processed this morning, affecting largely long-haul international flights due to depart tonight, providing as much advance notice as we can." "The cancellations will proceed and grow in magnitude … By the time we get to 1 a.m. on Saturday morning, we'll be completely grounded," Nasr added. The news conference ended early, after members of the union stood silently, holding signs that read "UnfAir Canada" and "Poverty wages = UnCanadian." Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) airline division voted overwhelmingly this week to back a strike to press their demand for fair pay, in particular for the unpaid work performed by its flight attendants. The airline only pays for hours in the air, meaning preflight procedures like safety checks are unpaid. "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," he added. With negotiations bogged down over an airline offer, including a 38 percent pay increase over four years, Air Canada proposed resolving the dispute using an arbitrator but the union declined the suggestion. Air Canada says it will offer refunds on tickets and try to book customers on other flights, but there are few available seats in the summer rush. What People Are Saying Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Air Canada's executive vice president for human resources, at Thursday's briefing: "We are extremely disappointed by CUPE's decision which threatens to disrupt the travel plans of more than 130,000 customers a day." Lesosky, in a statement: "While the airline continues to slap junk fees on flyers and gouge the public, they're also exploiting their own employees by severely underpaying flight attendants or refusing to pay them at all for safety-critical aspects of our jobs." What Happens Next In the absence of a last-minute resolution of the dispute, the airline will be grounded in the early hours of Saturday.
CNET
5 hours ago
- CNET
Google's New AI Flight Deals Tool Works, but Only if You're an 'Anywhere, Anytime' Traveler
When Google announces a new travel feature, my inner explorer perks up. So Thursday morning, when it announced the launch next week of Flight Deals, an AI-powered tool designed to help flexible travelers find cheap airfare, I grabbed my laptop and dove in to test it out after being granted early access (especially since I'm going to have a travel-heavy end to 2025). The pitch is enticing: Just tell Google what kind of trip you're looking for and its AI will sniff out deals that fit. In theory, it's perfect for people who don't care whether their winter getaway is in Aruba or the Canary Islands, as long as it's sunny and the price is right. But I wanted to know if it would work just as well for people who, you know, have some idea of when and where they want to go? Or is it aimed squarely at the flexible crowd? I spent hours testing it with all kinds of prompts, from laser-specific requests to free-spirited "just take me anywhere" queries. The result? It works if you're cool with being super vague. For more stories on travel and AI, I've also written about how to book cheap airfare on Google Flights, how to save money on airfare and if AI can help you travel more sustainably. Testing prompts from specific to 'just take me anywhere' I am well aware that Google's Flight Deals feature is intended for "flexible" travelers. Still, I started with the kind of queries a normal traveler might type in — specific dates, cities and budgets. That's where things were… finicky. Prompt 1: Tampa to Boston. Specifically, I typed, "I am looking for a flight from Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida, to Boston for the weekend of Sept. 11 through 14. Ideally, I would arrive that Thursday night after work and in the evening on Sunday." The tool coughed up one result with a less-than-ideal time. When I clicked on the one result, I was taken to the regular Google Flights page. From there, I tried to be more flexible with my dates and the airports. Prompt 2: Tampa to North Carolina (Charlotte or Raleigh), anytime in late August. Two results showed, one from each airport. A little better, but hardly a flood of deals. Not a flood of deals, but it still gave me some options I can work with. Screenshot by Macy Meyer/CNET After still not getting great results, I decided to be more flexible with dates and only be specific on price, since Google said this feature is really for travelers "whose number one goal is saving money on their next trip." Prompt 3: Tampa to New York, any date, any airport, just needs to be under $150. I got a single September flight. So far, Flight Deals wasn't exactly making the flight-finding process easier. That's when I decided to loosen up my criteria. Prompt 4: 5-day trip, sometime in winter 2026, warm and tropical, nonstop. When I hit enter, I got a note saying no results were available for my prompt. So I tried another prompt to see if the "5 days" was tripping up the search tool. On a few searches, the tool responded with "We couldn't match your search." Screenshot by Macy Meyer/CNET Prompt 5: Week-long trip, winter 2026, warm and tropical, nonstop. Still no results. Prompt 6: A week-long winter trip, warm and tropical, nonstop. Finally, six options for affordable beach escapes appeared. I noticed that Flight Deals seems to need specific language for better results. Screenshot by Macy Meyer/CNET It became clear that the feature is a bit hit or miss — the more vague my prompt, the better the results. I also noticed that Flight Deals seems to need specific language for better results. Prompts 4 through 6 are essentially the same, but with different language. When I typed, "5-day-long trip in winter 2026 to a warm and tropical destination. Nonstop flights only," I received no results. But when I typed, "A week-long trip during the winter to a warm and tropical destination. Nonstop flights only," I received six deals from Tampa for a seven-day trip departing between Dec. 1 and Feb. 28. In short, you might need to mess around with your word choice to actually get results. How Flights Deals stacks up to Google's AI Mode For comparison, I took several of the same prompts to Google Flights' AI mode, a feature that's been around for a bit and can answer travel questions with a chat-like interface. Here's where things got interesting since the AI mode handled specifics far better. It found options that fit my actual parameters and offered helpful context and links to booking sources. Flight Deals is positioned as the fun, exploratory option, but it requires a level of flexibility that even the most, well, flexible travelers don't often have. If you truly have no plan? This is great for ideation. For anyone who already knows their destination or dates? Google's regular Flights search will be your best bet. Regular Google Flights or searching for flights with Google AI Mode may give you better results. Screenshot by Macy Meyer/CNET Not revolutionary, but fun if you're chill about travel After hours of poking at Flight Deals, I can say this: It's not a revolutionary travel tool. It's basically Google Flights with a "choose your own adventure" coat of paint… and one that gives you a blank stare if you start asking for too many specifics. If you're the kind of traveler who says, "anywhere warm in February works for me" and is willing to leave the details to fate (or Google in this case), you might love it. But if you've got a wedding to attend, school break dates to work around or a preference for afternoon departures over 6 a.m. starts, you're probably better off with the standard Google Flights search. Think of Flight Deals like that one spontaneous friend who texts you, "Pack a bag, we're going somewhere!" They won't tell you where, though, and you might just end up in the Bahamas… or Buffalo. Sometimes that's exciting, but more often than not, you'll know when and where you're headed when you think about booking flights. And this tool just isn't for that purpose. How to use Google Flights' new Flight Deals AI tool In case you want to test out Google Flights' new AI search tool yourself when it rolls out over the next week (no specific date set), here's how to get started: Search "Google Flight Deals" in your browser or go directly to Type a prompt into the AI box. Keep it loose since you'll get more results if you don't lock in too many details. Example: "A week-long trip this winter to a warm, tropical destination." Browse AI-generated options. You'll see a curated list of destinations with prices and sample dates. Click through for booking. Once you see something you like, click the link to view it in regular Google Flights and complete your booking there. For more Google features, explore how I use Google Maps for stress-free travel and the six Google AI and Lens features I'm using to plan my vacations.
