Maritime travellers face cancellations, confusion as Air Canada strike continues
Long lines, mounting frustration and cancelled flights continue to grip Halifax Stanfield International Airport as Air Canada's strike stretches into its fourth day, leaving passengers stranded and employees defying a federal back-to-work order.
The walkout by flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has prompted the cancellation of about 30 daily flights in and out of Halifax, affecting service to Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and London's Heathrow airport.
For Lower Sackville, N.S., resident Jamie Munroe, the strike has been a rollercoaster. He had planned to take his teenage son to Calgary this past weekend for the Founders Cup lacrosse championship, but their Air Canada flight was cancelled.
'I've been at the airport for about 12 hours in the last 48 hours, trying to get answers,' Munroe said. 'You call Air Canada and nobody answers. It literally hangs up on you.'
Munroe eventually bought to one-way tickets to Calgary through WestJet, paying more than double what his original trip cost.
'I paid $3,800 for two tickets, one day,' he said. 'Honestly, I didn't care how much they were. I just wanted him to be there. He was the only one on his team not going. Lacrosse is the healing game for us. I don't care if it was $8,000, I just wanted my boy to have that experience.'
Alice See, a fashion designer from Paris, had planned to fly home with her niece after attending Halifax Fashion Week. Their Air Canada flight to Montreal was cancelled, jeopardizing their connection to Paris.
'We might not be able to get back until Thursday or Friday,' See said. 'They told us the accommodations are our responsibility. My niece is a surgeon, and she has patients waiting for her. It's a disaster.'
Even passengers flying with other carriers say the strike has disrupted their plans.
Anna Petri and Karen Walls had booked a WestJet flight to Edmonton but say their itinerary was repeatedly changed in recent days.
'Even though we didn't book with Air Canada, we are still affected,' Walls said.
'I'm not against the strike, flight attendants deserve fair pay, but this has meant three days of trying to get to Edmonton,' said Petri.
In Halifax, officials are urging passengers not to come to the airport without confirmed bookings.
'We've had about 30 arriving and departing flights cancelled each day,' said airport spokesperson Tiffany Chase. 'We're encouraging people to wait for confirmation instead of showing up at the airport without it.'
Outside the airport, picket lines stretch across a designated area. Lisa Vivian-Macdonald, a Halifax-based flight attendant and picket captain, said workers are determined to hold the line despite the Canada Industrial Relations Board ruling the strike illegal.
'The order is unconstitutional, and we're fighting that right now,' she said. 'We're on the picket line from coast to coast, and we're not moving until our employer comes back to the table. Canadians support us, they know we deserve fair wages for the work we do, both in the air and on the ground.'
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