Air Canada winding down operations in anticipation of strike
Thousands of passengers are scrambling with more than 200 Air Canada flights cancelled today. Sean Leathong reports.
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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
2 hours 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.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
A quick turnaround: Canada Games organizers welcome Week 2 athletes to St. John's
Sunday was a big day at the Canada Summer Games — and there weren't even any competitions. It was turnaround day, the middle point of the Games where week one athletes head home and organizers and volunteers welcome those participating in week two. CEO Karen Sherriffs said Sunday that the day took months of planning, and more than 200 volunteers working tirelessly starting at around 8 a.m. NT. "All of our week one athletes and coaches, managers, leave, head back home. And we have all of our week two athletes and coaches, managers, coming in at the same time. So about 2,600 leaving from week one, and about just over 2,500 coming in for week two," Sherriffs said. "Today is a very, very busy day." Volunteers were working to clean the athletes village, flipping mattresses and preparing athlete kits — a pillowcase, towels and bed sheets. Venues were also getting cleaned up as some prepare to host new sports from week-to-week, Sherriffs said, like the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Centre transitioning from a basketball venue to volleyball. That coordination also comes with making sure athletes can get on and off the island. Canada Games Host Society co-chair Karl Smith told CBC News Saturday that alternate plans had to be made in response to job action taken by Air Canada flight attendants, but all athletes, coaches and managers were set to arrive on time. Team Yukon were among the first athletes to arrive on Sunday morning, arriving on a red-eye flight from Whitehorse. Long distance runner Matthew London said his excitement for the Games was overflowing. "I've been watching all the week one events and it's been really fun. I've got a few friends that were here in week one, they tell me how great it is. I'm overjoyed, it's going to be a great experience," London said. "I'm stoked to kind of just, like, show what the Yukon is made of and, like, what we can do as a territory in a big competition like this." They were followed by Team Nova Scotia, who were welcomed with a cheering section of mission staff and supporters. Soccer players Emily Hall and Jada Buchanan said that support will push them to perform at their best. WATCH | More than 200 volunteers were getting the athletes village ready: Months of planning, hours of action: Organizers welcome week 2 athletes to the Canada Games 8 minutes ago Playing fields at the Canada Games were quiet on Sunday, but it was still one of the busiest times of the event. It was turnaround day inside the athletes village, with hundreds of volunteers working as athletes arrived. The CBC's Alex Kennedy explains. "It's going to be super exciting. We're really happy to have all these fans here with us. It's just such an amazing experience, we're just really looking forward to it," Hall said. "I'm so excited. We've put so much work in, early morning practices and everything. So I'm so excited to see how it goes on the field," Buchanan added. Week 1 brought several pivots due to the wildfire burning near Paddy's Pond. Sherriffs said she and other organizers were overwhelmed by the support of athletes and supporters as changes had to happen, and hopes things can stay on track for the second week. "Everybody really rallied behind us. And just to see the number of people at the venues? Wow, it was really amazing to see everyone cheering on our home province of Newfoundland and Labrador, but also all the other provinces and territories," she said. Week two events will kick off on Monday evening with the first ever female baseball game in Canada Games history between British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
