Air Canada to cancel 500 flights by end of day Friday as flight attendant strike looms
The cancellation will affect 130,000 customers a day, including 25,000 Canadians who may risk being stranded abroad, and all flights will be paused by early Saturday, said Mark Nasr, executive vice president and COO of Air Canada, in a press conference.
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Ottawa Citizen
32 minutes ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Air Canada has suspended return to service until Monday
Article content Air Canada said on Sunday that the CIRB has ordered the terms of the collective agreement between the union and the airline that expired on March 31 be extended until a new agreement is reached. Article content The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents more than 10,000 flight attendants, has accused federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu of caving to Air Canada's demands. Article content CUPE says it is inviting Air Canada back to the table to negotiate a fair deal. Article content The union called for a 'day of action' on Sunday, with demonstrations planned outside of the Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary airports. Article content Natasha Stea, the president of the local 4091 for flight attendants based in Montreal, said the workers supported defying the back-to-work order. Article content 'I want to be very clear, Air Canada is choosing to do this to our passengers, to our company, because we are the face of the company, and they're trying to blame us for all this and getting together with their friends in the government to kind of circumvent all our rights,' she said at a demonstration outside the Toronto airport. Article content Article content She said workers are 'done being abused and exploited.' Article content 'Where you have a multi-billion dollar company that's refusing to pay living wages to their employees, I just don't know.' Article content CUPE originally announced its members were heading to the picket lines after being unable to reach an eleventh-hour deal with the airline, while Air Canada locked out its agents about 30 minutes later due to the strike action. Article content The union has said its main sticking points revolve around wages that have been outpaced by inflation during its previous 10-year contract, along with unpaid labour when planes aren't in the air. Article content Air Canada had previously asked Hajdu to order the parties to enter a binding arbitration process — a power granted to the minister through Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Want Air Canada to reroute your flight? Prepare for 'turbulence,' says this passenger
Air Canada says it plans to restart flights Monday evening after striking flight attendants defied the federal government's back-to-work order Sunday morning. For Lila Rousseaux, a longtime Air Canada customer, the weekend work stoppage has resulted in inflexibility from the airline as she and her family try to reroute their way home.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Air Canada travellers face chaos, added costs as flight attendant strike grounds hundreds of planes
Air Canada passengers faced chaos and added costs as a flight attendant strike grounded more than 200 flights worldwide Sunday. Photo by ANDREJ IVANOV / AFP via Getty Images Air passengers were still scrambling to rebook their flights home on Sunday, as a labour dispute between Air Canada and the union representing more than 10,000 flight attendants continued to ground planes around the world. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors James Hart and Zahara Virani were visiting Toronto from Calgary for what they thought would be a fun weekend. But they ended up paying $2,600 to fly with another airline on a later day after their Air Canada flight from Toronto Pearson International Airport got cancelled due to the strike and lockout that began Saturday. Hart said the couple heard late Saturday that their Sunday flight home had been cancelled, forcing them to also miss work. Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again 'We kind of had an idea it wouldn't be going out, and now you can't get a hold of anybody to get any answers,' he said. The couple found seats on a competitor flight for Monday, but said it's costing them three to four times more than what they initially paid for their original tickets. 'It's a little frustrating and stressful, but at the same time, I don't blame the flight attendants at all,' Virani said. 'What they're asking for is not unreasonable whatsoever.' The union representing more than 10,000 flight attendants said on Sunday that the workers plan to remain on strike, even after the Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered both parties back to work by 2 p.m. ET the same day. As a result, Air Canada announced it was suspending a plan to restart operations and cancelled some 240 flights that had been scheduled to take off Sunday. Grounded planes also impacted tourists from all over the world. Travellers such as Mel Durston, from southern England, was trying to make the most of sightseeing in Canada. But she said she doesn't have a way to continue her journey. 'We wanted to go see the Rockies, but we might not get there because of this,' Durston said. 'We might have to head straight back (to the U.K.).' Robert Cwynar and his wife were originally supposed to leave Saturday night to get to Saskatoon on their way home to Poland, when they also found out their flight was cancelled with no alternate routes home. 'There's no help. We have to get our hotels on our own, our transportation, our meals… They don't say anything,' he said. Air Canada has said passengers whose flights are cancelled will be offered a full refund or the opportunity to change their travel plans without a fee. However, it said that under Canada's airline passenger protection regulations, customers are not eligible for compensation for expenses incurred during travel delays deemed outside the airline's control.
