
Air Canada to restart flights Sunday after Ottawa intervenes in strike
The Montreal-based airline says the first flights will resume this evening, but that it will take several days before its operations return to normal.
Air Canada says it has been directed by the Canada Industrial Relations Board to resume operations and have flight attendants continue their duties by 2 p.m. ET.
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The federal government ordered the airline and its flight attendants back to work Saturday, ending a strike and lockout after less than 12 hours.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the flight attendants, has accused federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu of caving to Air Canada's demands.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants, 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.
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National Post
11 minutes ago
- National Post
Labour Board declares Air Canada flight attendant strike illegal
Air Canada says the Canada Industrial Relations Board has declared the strike by the company's 10,000 flight attendants illegal and has ordered the union's leadership to direct its members to return to work. Article content It could be another chaotic day for travellers as the dispute continues. Flight attendants with the Montreal-based airline represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees are expected to remain on the picket lines today as a battle against a federal return-to-work order continues. Article content Article content Article content Article content That order came after Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu sent both parties to binding arbitration on Saturday, saying she was intervening in the dispute because of its impact on Canadians and the economy. Article content Air Canada said on Sunday that it would push back its plan to get flights back in the air until Monday evening, even though the union said employees will remain on strike until a 'fair, negotiated collective agreement' is reached. The strike officially began just before 1 a.m. ET on Saturday, and Air Canada locked out flight attendants about 30 minutes later due to the strike action. Article content The airline reported roughly 940 flights cancelled Sunday as a result of the work stoppage, and thousands of travellers have been scrambling to salvage their travel plans. Article content Article content On Monday morning, Air Canada suspended its financial guidance for the third quarter and its full year due to the labour disruption. Article content In its outlook in July, the airline had said it expected to increase capacity for the third quarter between 3.25 per cent and 3.75 per cent compared with the same quarter last year, while it forecast adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization between $3.2 billion to $3.6 billion for its full year. Article content The suspension of its guidance puts that forecast by the airline on hold. Article content The dispute has garnered negative attention from labour groups across Canada who are criticizing the Liberal government's decision to order flight attendants back to work. Article content A statement from the Canadian Labour Congress late Sunday evening said the 'heads of Canada's unions' met in an emergency session to stand behind Air Canada's flight attendants. Article content The group called Hajdu's intervention an 'unconstitutional attack on workers' rights' and said Canada's labour groups were unanimously calling on the federal government to withdraw its intervention. Article content The statement also said labour unions are ready to 'co-ordinate a fight back campaign' and promote and co-ordinate financial contributions to assist with the legal and other costs related to flight attendants' decision to defy Hajdu's order. Article content 'The labour movement is united and standing firm, and we will not allow these Charter-protected rights to be trampled upon,' the statement read. Article content

CTV News
11 minutes ago
- CTV News
Air Canada strike latest updates: Another day of disrupted travel expected
CUPE's Air Canada Component President Wesley Lesosky says that the union is 'not willing' to accept the back-to-work order. Air Canada has suspended its plan to resume flights and unionized attendants continued picketing on Monday, despite a federal back-to-work order. The company has asked travellers not to go to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking with another airline and told customers to check their flight status. On Sunday, the president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) – which represents the striking workers – said 'this is not over' after negotiations were referred to binding arbitration. Air Canada called the union's actions illegal. Here are the latest updates: 'I want to get home' says traveller One Prince Edward Island mother at Toronto's Pearson International Airport told CP24 that she is doing what she can to get home to her son after her Air Canada flight was cancelled. 'My parents are looking after him so I just feel stressed. I want to get home to see my little boy,' she said. 'Also, just a little bit nervous because we are going to have to fork out a lot of money to pay for our own way home and then just hope that they will reimburse us for it, but we don't really have any confirmation that will happen.' Codi Wilson, journalist Air Canada suspends profit forecast On Monday morning, Air Canada suspended its financial guidance for the third quarter and its full year due to the labour disruption. In its outlook in July, the airline had said it expected to increase capacity for the third quarter between 3.25 per cent and 3.75 per cent compared with the same quarter last year, while it forecast adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization between $3.2 billion to $3.6 billion for its full year. The suspension of its guidance puts that forecast by the airline on hold. The Canadian Press. Read the full story here. CUPE 'will continue to fight' 'This is not over,' CUPE National President Mark Hancock said in a Sunday statement. 'We will continue to fight on the picket lines, on the streets, at the bargaining table, in the courts, and in Parliament, until the injustice of unpaid work is done for good. Workers will win – despite the best effort of the Liberal government and their corporate friends.' The Canada Industrial Relations Board that said more than 10,000 flight attendants had to return to work as of 2 p.m. EDT that afternoon. CUPE says it filed a challenge in Federal Court on Sunday. Jobsand Families Minister Patty Hajdu sent both parties to binding arbitration on Saturday, saying she was intervening in the dispute because of its impact on Canadians and the economy. On Sunday, CUPE held demonstrations at major airports in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver, accusing Hajdu of caving to Air Canada's demands Luca Caruso-Moro, journalist. With files from The Canadian Press. Traveller's honeymoon affected At the Calgary International Airport, Air Canada passengers struggled to make alternative travel plans on short notice Sunday. Emma Demers and her new husband Quinn were all set to go on a honeymoon in Cape Cod and New York City, with flights booked in and out of Boston. Demers got a text at 3 a.m. on Sunday saying her flight had been cancelled. 'I think with wedding planning, I've learned that things change, and to be okay with that,' Demers said, 'but just something you look forward to, and then things change--and like, non-refundable hotels, we had a concert booked and things like that.' Elsewhere in the airport, a group of six who were booked to go to Cancun explained their expanded new itinerary. 'We actually were the lucky ones,' said Isaac Kazeil, one of the six travellers. 'We got re-directed. But we're flying to Edmonton first, and we have two hours there, and we're flying to Denver, two hours there, then San Francisco, two hours there -- and then San Francisco to Cancun. 'And we're looking at the flight time, and it's actually like the same flight time from San Francisco to Cancun as Calgary to Cancun, so we have our regular flight, plus, like, all of these other layovers. So it's like almost 20 hours of flying to go to place like five hours away, right?' He said Air Canada picked up the cost of redirecting their flights, which turned out to be around $22,000. Stephen Hunt, journalist. Read the full story here.


Global News
40 minutes ago
- Global News
Air Canada says it will resume flights as flight attendants challenge order
Air Canada says it will resume some flights on Monday that were suspended due to its flight attendants going on strike, despite their union saying job action continues. It's not yet clear how that will work, with flight attendants challenging a back-to-work order. The airline originally planned to resume some flights on Sunday in response to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordering it and its flight attendants back to work. But hours after that order, the Canadian Union of Public Employees' (CUPE) Air Canada component said they would remain on strike, prompting Air Canada to cancel the flights it intended to resume. 'Approximately 240 flights scheduled to operate beginning this afternoon (Sunday) have now been cancelled,' the company wrote. 'The airline will resume flights as of Monday evening.' Story continues below advertisement Flight attendants for mainline and Air Canada Rouge flights went on strike on Saturday morning after both sides were unable to reach a deal before the deadline. A lockout also went into force by the airline. 3:13 Air Canada flight attendants defy back-to-work order. What comes next? Less than 12 hours after that began, Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu announced she was directing the CIRB to impose binding arbitration on the airline and its flight attendants. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The airline said Sunday morning the CIRB had directed it and its flight attendants to resume duties as of 2 p.m. EDT that day. But only a few hours later, the Canadian Union of Public Employees' (CUPE) Air Canada component said they would challenge the CIRB's order, adding they remained on strike. CUPE says it filed a challenge in federal court on Sunday against the order by the CIRB. Story continues below advertisement With flight attendants continuing their job action, Air Canada has not said how it plans to resume flights Monday. Air Canada reported roughly 940 flights had been cancelled as a result of the work stoppage. The airline also suspended its financial guidance for the third quarter and its full year on Monday, saying the suspension was due to the work stoppage. The airline said cancelled flights will result in people being offered their choice of either a full refund or being rebooked on another flight, which could include one of the airline's competitors. Canadian labour groups have also voiced their support for the flight attendants, with the Canadian Labour Congress stating on Sunday that the 'heads of Canada's unions' put in an emergency session to stand behind Air Canada's flight attendants. The group called Hajdu's intervention an 'unconstitutional attack on workers' rights' and said Canada's labour groups were unanimously calling on the federal government to withdraw its intervention. It also said unions are ready to 'co-ordinate a fight back campaign' and promote and co-ordinate financial contributions to assist with the legal and other costs related to flight attendants' decision to defy the back-to-work order. — With files from The Canadian Press