Air Canada flight cancellations leave Rockwood, Ont., man and his family stranded in Scotland

Yahoo

a day ago

Being stranded in Scotland and unsure whether they'll have a flight back home was not part of Barry Fraser's plan when he and his family travelled to Scotland from their Rockwood, Ont., home on Aug. 9.
After visiting family and attending a concert, they were supposed to fly back to Canada on Tuesday.
But on Monday, Fraser said he received an email from Air Canada stating their flight home had been cancelled. It was the first and only form of communication Fraser said he received from the airline since the strike began, leaving him and his family not only stuck, but also frustrated.
"The lack of any communication from [Air Canada] is appalling," Fraser told CBC News in an email. "As of [Tuesday] morning, we have to leave our Airbnb and have no accommodations."
CBC News reached out to Air Canada to ask about Fraser's situation but have not heard back.
The Fraser family is among 25,000 travellers that Air Canada said were going to be "stranded abroad daily" as a result of the strike that ended Tuesday morning.
On Saturday morning, around 10,000 Air Canada employees walked off their jobs following months of failed negotiations between Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the union representing Air Canada employees.
CUPE cited wages, work rules and unpaid hours as the big issues during negotiations.
Strike ends
On Tuesday morning, CUPE announced a tentative agreement with Air Canada had been reached. The union provided few details, but said one of the major sticking points in the talks — ground pay for members — was guaranteed in the tentative deal.
"Unpaid work is over. We have reclaimed our voice and our power," the union said in a statement provided to CBC News.
But getting the deal wasn't easy.
On Sunday, CUPE went against a back-to-work order sent out by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB). CUPE said the Liberal government is "rewarding Air Canada's refusal to negotiate fairly by giving them exactly what they wanted."
CUPE national president Mark Hancock then appeared in front of media on Monday, saying he's willing to risk jail time if that's what it takes to support their members.
CIRB responded to the defiance, saying it was "unlawful," and that failure to comply with the board's order could result in "significant fines and penalties."
It's uncertain if CUPE will incur fines and penalties for not following the back-to-work order.
Long road home
Being left blind about their flight status was frustrating for Fraser and his family. Fraser said he feels like they were left to figure out how to get home on their own.
Along with the flight cancellation, Fraser said Air Canada said nothing about how they're supposed to handle additional costs of accommodation that come as a result of the cancellation.
"[It's] hard to believe such a big company that our country relies on can't communicate," he said.
As of Tuesday, Fraser said he booked a flight for his family to Buffalo, N.Y., for Saturday and they'll have to "find transport home from there."
"I just checked at the counter... [Air Canada staff suggested] we stay with the sure thing we have. No guarantee that they'd be ready to fly by Sunday."
Once he's home, Fraser said, he'll look into his rights, reach out to support groups, and see if he's eligible for any benefits and refunds.
Air Canada said Tuesday that even with a deal being reached and workers going back to their jobs, full restoration of services may "require a week or more."
The airline also said to still expect some cancellations in the coming days.