Air Canada strike latest updates: Another day of disrupted travel expected

CTV News

8 hours ago

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, CP24.com 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, CTVNews.ca 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, CTVNewsCalgary.ca journalist. Read the full story here.