Marooned by Air Canada flight attendant strike? Here are your options
Now what?
More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants are off the job after a strike deadline passed Saturday without a deal. The airline had already cancelled 500 flights on Friday in anticipation of the full stoppage and all flights will be halted during the work stoppage.
Air Canada has said that, in the event of a strike, it would try and book customers on another flight, including those operated by other carriers.
'However, available capacity on our airline and on other carriers is limited due to the summer travel peak, meaning the possibility of rebooking you within an acceptable time frame is low,' Air Canada said in an online notice Friday.
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'If your travel is disrupted, you can always choose a refund.'
Before the stoppage, Air Canada had offered free flight changes to customers booked between Aug. 15 and 18 and travel credits for any unused non-refundable fares.
Personal finance and travel expert Barry Choi had planned to travel home from Europe next week on Air Canada.
He said he's confident a deal will be worked out before his return trip on Aug. 22, but he came up with a contingency plan anyway.
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'I personally booked a backup flight just in case, in the worst, worst case scenario,' he said from Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Choi said he did so because he had the luxury of ample loyalty rewards to afford a transatlantic flight much pricier than the one he initially booked. Getting back was also time sensitive — his wife has tickets to an Oasis concert back home two days after their scheduled arrival. If not for that, they may have stayed longer.
'I know not everyone has that luxury, but just having a backup plan is good to know, even if you don't want to book that flight right away,' said Choi.
Doing some research and finding three or four backup flight options with Air Canada partners is a good idea when you're finally able to get on the line with an agent.
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'The more information you can provide the agents when you get hold of them, the better your odds. So always just be prepared,' said Choi, advising anyone with travel booked further out into September to just sit tight for now.
He adds that travellers should look into the details of their credit card travel insurance 'inside out' right away to find out what expenses are covered, and what aren't, if it takes a few days to line up a flight home.
Choi recalls being taken aback a few years ago when he booked a hotel stay to cover a flight delay only to find out after he made the claim that his insurance only covered $100 a night.
It's also worth looking into whether a policy will cover travel to an alternative airport — taking a train to fly out of Edinburgh, Scotland, back to Canada instead of London Heathrow, for example.
'Just knowing what you're entitled to, keeping those receipts and making a submission in time will greatly help you reduce your costs overall.'
Lesley Keyter, founder and CEO of Calgary travel agency The Travel Lady, said insurance may cover disruptions due to labour action, provided it wasn't a 'known event' when the policy was purchased.
'If you're thinking now, 'Oh, next week I want to go somewhere and I'll just take out travel insurance and that will cover me,' that won't happen,' she said.
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Keyter also cautions that any reimbursements for extended stays won't arrive quickly.
'It's going to take a while for that to go through the whole machinery, so you have to have that cash on you to be able to afford those extra costs in-destination.'
For those with flights connecting to a cruise or tour, it could get tricky.
It's fairly straightforward if the airfare was booked through a cruise line. Not so when they're booked separately.
'If you just booked an air ticket yourself with Air Canada flying across to Rome and then maybe you're jumping on a cruise ship, that's two completely separate tickets and the cruise line does not care about Air Canada having the strike,' said Keyter.
'If you're going on a cruise or a tour or there's an occasion, a date that has to be stuck to, get there a day or so earlier so it gives you a little bit of wiggle room in case things like this happen.'
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Toronto Sun
6 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
Passenger frustration mounts at Pearson as Air Canada strike drags on
Air Canada flight attendants picket outside of Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Aug. 18, 2025. (Ernest Doroszuk, Toronto Sun) Tempers flared and patience was tested Monday as Air Canada passengers inside Toronto's Pearson International Airport remained helplessly grounded while flight attendants continued to defy a federal back-to-work order. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. 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 Don't have an account? Create Account 'I'm sitting here at my own expense — this is my fourth night (stuck),' said Veronica McGinn, from Fredericton, N.B. 'I'm a little upset. I've been flying Air Canada for 40 years. I'm an Air Canada frequent flyer member, not Elite or anything. I've been dedicated. I've been loyal to them,' she added. 'I haven't flown any other airlines if I can help it. And I feel a little betrayed by the company. I support these guys on the picket line because I know how hard they work. I know what they do. And that's why I'm not 100% upset.' McGinn, who has co-shared hotel expenses with another woman she just met, had been trying since last Friday to get to Edmonton for the National Lawn Bowling Tournament. McGinn made it as far as Montreal but got stuck in Toronto on Friday and Air Canada moved her to a Thursday departure this week. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I wanted to get out to Edmonton with my team. They made it. I didn't. They can't even guarantee I'm even going to be out on Thursday. But I might not be able to get home. It doesn't look like it's ending anytime soon.' McGinn figures she's out several thousand dollars due to the job disruption and might be looking at a rental car, bus or train to head home. Recommended video Italian insurance lawyer Federica Fattory, from a small town outside of Rome, had been travelling across Canada with their husband until the trip was derailed by the Air Canada strike. 'It's terrible because we lost the rest of our journey,' she said, referring to carrying on from Toronto to Calgary and Vancouver after already spending time in Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and Sudbury. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'So we did 12 days of our journey but the last week we lose everything. We remain here in Toronto for four days because of this situation and we booked hotels on our (own.) No one would refund us. We booked another flight with another company Air Transat at a high price to come back to Italy. The price was crazy.' Fattory estimated they spent $2,000 Euros each on the Air Transat flights from Toronto to Rome. 'The right to strike is a right (but) don't violate other rights,' she said. 'This exercise, so massive, violates the rights of a lot of passengers. This (has caused) great, great damage for passengers and for the future of the company.' The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has declared the strike by the company's 10,000 flight attendants illegal. Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu invoked Sec. 107 of the Labour Code to ask the CIRB to order the union's leadership to direct its members to return to work and send both sides to binding arbitration. The union is refusing, and has challenged the order in Federal Court. Canada Columnists Columnists Hockey Sunshine Girls
CTV News
6 minutes ago
- CTV News
Windsor travellers caught in Air Canada strike uncertainty
The ongoing Air Canada strike is creating stress and uncertainty for Windsor-area travellers as flight cancellations ripple through international connections. Windsor resident Moe Zogheib said his family is struggling to bring his mother home from Lebanon after her flight was cancelled last weekend. 'Our budget is tight and we don't know what to do,' he said. 'She's currently in Lebanon, and she's coming back to Montreal. Okay. But last Saturday, they canceled the flight. She was at the airport, and they sent her back home in Lebanon. So, we're trying to figure it out. We're calling the call center. Nobody answers us,' Zogheib said. 'We keep calling from Saturday, today's Monday, we don't have any answer,' he said, adding the family doesn't know when she might be able to travel. 'How long we going to wait? We can wait like ten days, five days, but I don't know when she will come back,' he said. Others are stranded in Windsor waiting for flights out. Windsor International Airport Windsor International Airport in Windsor, Ont., on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (Chris Campbell/CTV Windsor) Emily Napier, visiting from England with her four-year-old son, said their return to London was abruptly pushed back. 'We were supposed to leave yesterday and land today this morning. But we're now not scheduled to go to Friday and landing on Saturday,' Napier said. 'It's fortunate in a way, because we can spend more time with family here. I think we're just lucky that we weren't on an all-inclusive or booking a hotel, because it would be very difficult. And I think we'd be stressing a lot more than we are now,' she added. At Windsor International Airport, Jazz Aviation flights operated under the Air Canada Express banner are still flying, but president and CEO Mark Galvin said the situation is changing quickly. 'It's a pretty fluid situation and dynamic. So check your connections. Check where you're going, check the flight you're on, check all of your flight numbers to make sure that you know what's happening. And of course, obviously, if you're getting emails from the airline itself, letting you know that that's also important,' Galvin said. 'The situation is pretty fluid. So, I would continue to give the same advice to check those flights. Right now, they're operating as normal. You know, don't foresee any impact, but the situation can change day by day,' he said. Travel agent Al Valente, president of Valente Travel, said the strike has created a flood of calls from anxious clients. 'Our phone's been ringing off the hook. I mean, we've been dealing all over the weekend trying to figure out, you know, whether they're working, whether or not working, whether their flights are delayed, whether they're canceled, whether they're going or not. We're just really not sure at this point,' Valente said. 'We usually recommend to wait until it's cancelled before you make plans for other flights, etc. so unless you want to change your flight, you have to do that as well. That's an option,' he said. 'This is just complete turmoil. That's the word to describe it. It's a mess. But, hopefully we'll get back to some normalcy in the next couple of days,' Valente added. He urged passengers to be patient and avoid rushing into expensive changes. 'We just have to be patient and try to figure things out because it's a moving target, and we really don't know what's going to happen from one hour to the next. So the most important thing is to keep aware of alerts for your flight. Call your travel agents if you have one, and, see what you can do from there,' Valente said. 'It's extremely frustrating. I mean, a lot of clients save up for years literally for their dream vacation. And when it comes to something like this, it really puts a sour taste in their mouths. And, so the only thing we could do is just try to help them through this and to navigate the waters,' he said.
Canada News.Net
19 minutes ago
- Canada News.Net
Air Canada flight attendant 'unlawful' strike exposes major fault lines in Canadian labour law
Share article Air Canada flight attendants say they will continue to defy a government back-to-work order after the federal labour relations board declared the strike "unlawful." The walkout, which began early on Aug. 16, grounded hundreds of flights and left passengers stranded. Less than 12 hours into the strike, the federal government intervened in the dispute between Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants. Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to impose binding arbitration and order employees back to work. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) condemned the move, accusing the government of "crushing flight attendants' Charter rights." Air Canada reportedly encouraged the government to intervene, while CUPE pushed for a negotiated solution, arguing binding arbitration would ease pressure on the airline to negotiate fairly. After a Sunday hearing, the Canada Industrial Relations Board released an order reiterating flight attendants should "cease all activities that declare or authorize an unlawful strike of its members" and "resume the performance of their duties." As an expert in unions and the politics of labour, I see this dispute as highlighting several fault lines in Canada around work, how we value it and the ways the law affects workers. Prime Minister Mark Carney currently faces the first labour crisis of his term. Carney had worked alongside labour leaders in the face of United States President Donald Trump's tariff threats, even appointing Lana Payne, president of the Unifor trade union, to the new Canada-U.S. Relations Council. The federal government's decision to invoke Section 107 to send Air Canada and its flight attendants to arbitration continues a growing trend of its increasing use. Section 107 has been part of the Canada Labour Code since 1984. It was rarely used for decades, but became more common last year when Justin Trudeau's government invoked it several times to end work stoppages at ports, rail yards and Canada Post. This is part of a longer history. Dating back to the 1970s, federal and provincial governments started interfering with free and fair collective bargaining through back-to-work legislation or by imposing contracts on public sector workers. What has changed in recent decades is the federal government's growing creep into the private sector. Under Stephen Harper's Conservative government, there were increasing threats to use back-to-work legislation, targeting CN Rail, CP Rail and Air Canada. These interventions were justified as protecting an economy emerging from a global financial crisis. The Harper government followed through with back-to-work legislation in the Air Canada and CP Rail cases. If the Carney government continues to use back-to-work legislation, it could alienate unions that once saw him as a potential ally. Yet the public may be more receptive to it, given the country's economic weakness and continued Trump threats. The Air Canada strike could effect the trajectory not only of the government, but also the labour movement as well. It's a strike that has major consequences for all workers in Canada, and its outcome will signal to workers across the country what they can expect in these uncertain times. CUPE's decision to defy the Canadian government's use of Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code comes with big risks but also potential victories. A union or workers defying the law is hardly unprecedented, but is increasingly rare in an era where unions have been in an overall decline in Canada and globally. The risks are significant for workers: heavy fines, termination of employment or even jail time for flight attendants and union officials. If CUPE is successful, it would have a galvanizing effect, sending a message to workers across the country that they can stand up not only to their bosses, but to the state, in order to improve their labour circumstances. However, for any kind of unlawful strike to be successful, there must be an incredible amount of unity among the workers. While CUPE leadership and the Canadian labour movement are strongly supportive of continuing the strike, rank-and-file flight attendants must be willing to stand their ground. Even in a legal strike, unions only take the step of stopping work if they have an overwhelming amount of the membership on board. That need for solidarity is even greater for illegal action. The reason why Canada has laws allowing unions, workplace safety and strikes is because of industrial militancy that often defied the law to force governments to enact legislation allowing for unions and strikes. The flight attendant strike could be a barometer of increased labour organizing and action experienced across Canada since the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether that momentum for the labour movement can continue. Another key issue at the heart of the strike is the gender wage gap, which continues to be an issue in Canada. While it has narrowed during this century, women in Canada still earn on average 12 per cent less than men. This gap is even wider for women who are newcomers, Indigenous, transgender or living with disabilities. This disparity is closely tied to sectors where women are overrepresented, such as flight attendants, a workforce overwhelmingly made up of women. Across the Canadian workforce, 56 per cent of women are employed in the "5 Cs": caring, clerical, catering, cashiering and cleaning. These occupations tend to be precarious and underpaid. While airlines are part of transportation, the work that flight attendants perform is unmistakably service-based and covers much of the 5 Cs, including emotional labour and customer care. For Air Canada flight attendants, the situation is compounded by the fact they are paid only while the plane is in motion, meaning they often perform unpaid work. The gender dynamics become even clearer when comparing the treatment of flight attendants with that of Air Canada pilots. In 2024, Air Canada pilots - who are mostly men - won a 26 per cent wage increase in the first year of their new contract and a 42 per cent increase overall. Air Canada's most recent offer to its flight attendants was only an eight per cent increase in year one and 38 per cent overall. "Air Canada's male-dominated workforce received a significant cost-of-living wage increase. Why not the flight attendants, who are 70 per cent women?" Natasha Stea, president of the CUPE division that represents the Air Canada flight attendants, said in an Aug. 15 CUPE article.
