Latest news with #DavidNguyen
The Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- The Herald
Air Canada to cancel most of its 700 flights by Friday as strike looms
Air Canada and its low-cost affiliate Air Canada Rouge normally carry about 130,000 customers a day. Air Canada is also the foreign carrier with the largest number of flights to the US US carrier United Airlines, a code share partner of Air Canada, said it has issued a travel waiver to help customers manage their travel plans. Two days before the possible work stoppage, Air Canada passengers expressed concerns to Reuters over missed vacations and being stranded abroad, and many voiced support for the flight attendants. David Nguyen, 28, a pharmacist on vacation outside Cancun, Mexico, said he was worried his flight back to Toronto on Friday will be cancelled, leaving him stranded. He said he tried rebooking on another carrier but all the refundable options were sold out and the ones that are left cost more than C$1,000 (R12,737). 'If my flight does get cancelled that's when I'll be in a bit of a pickle because I don't know what my next step will be,' said Nguyen, adding Air Canada 'should pay their flight attendants appropriately'. Summer Mehdi, 19, a third-year student at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, said her family of four planned to catch a flight from Toronto to Lisbon on Saturday, but their summer vacation to Portugal and France was in limbo. 'My family and I 100% agree with the strike and we want the employees to get what they deserve,' Mehdi said. 'We wish there was more communication. It's a stressful situation for everyone.' Earlier in the day, Canadian jobs minister Patty Hajdu urged the two parties in the dispute to return to the bargaining table and reach a deal that could avert disruptions. A spokesperson for the Canadian Union of Public Employees (Cupe), which represents the flight attendants, said Air Canada negotiators stopped bargaining and have not responded to a proposal they made earlier this week. 'We believe the company wants the federal government to intervene and bail them out.' Hajdu said on the social media site X she has agreed to a union request to respond to the airline's call for binding arbitration by 12pm ET on Friday. Cupe has previously said it opposes binding arbitration. Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, chief human resources officer at Air Canada, said on Thursday the carrier was 'available to bargain at any time on the condition the negotiation has substance'. Meloul-Wechsler spoke at a press conference held by Air Canada executives that ended abruptly when union members carrying placards entered the Toronto hotel conference room where it was being held. The dispute hinges on the way airlines compensate flight attendants. Most have traditionally paid them only when planes are in motion. In their latest contract negotiations, flight attendants in North America have sought compensation for hours worked, including for tasks such as boarding passengers and waiting at the airport before and between flights. The union said Air Canada had offered to begin compensating flight attendants for some unpaid work, which the union said amounts to about 35 hours a month, but only at 50% of their hourly rate. The airline said it had offered a 38% increase in total compensation for flight attendants over four years, with a 25% raise in the first year. The union has not publicised what it has asked for in terms of higher wages. Reuters
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Air Canada to cancel most of its 700 flights by Friday as strike looms
Air Canada and its low-cost affiliate Air Canada Rouge normally carry about 130,000 customers a day. Air Canada is also the foreign carrier with the largest number of flights to the US US carrier United Airlines, a code share partner of Air Canada, said it has issued a travel waiver to help customers manage their travel plans. Two days before the possible work stoppage, Air Canada passengers expressed concerns to Reuters over missed vacations and being stranded abroad, and many voiced support for the flight attendants. David Nguyen, 28, a pharmacist on vacation outside Cancun, Mexico, said he was worried his flight back to Toronto on Friday will be cancelled, leaving him stranded. He said he tried rebooking on another carrier but all the refundable options were sold out and the ones that are left cost more than C$1,000 (R12,737). 'If my flight does get cancelled that's when I'll be in a bit of a pickle because I don't know what my next step will be,' said Nguyen, adding Air Canada 'should pay their flight attendants appropriately'. Summer Mehdi, 19, a third-year student at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, said her family of four planned to catch a flight from Toronto to Lisbon on Saturday, but their summer vacation to Portugal and France was in limbo. 'My family and I 100% agree with the strike and we want the employees to get what they deserve,' Mehdi said. 'We wish there was more communication. It's a stressful situation for everyone.' Earlier in the day, Canadian jobs minister Patty Hajdu urged the two parties in the dispute to return to the bargaining table and reach a deal that could avert disruptions. A spokesperson for the Canadian Union of Public Employees (Cupe), which represents the flight attendants, said Air Canada negotiators stopped bargaining and have not responded to a proposal they made earlier this week. 'We believe the company wants the federal government to intervene and bail them out.' Hajdu said on the social media site X she has agreed to a union request to respond to the airline's call for binding arbitration by 12pm ET on Friday. Cupe has previously said it opposes binding arbitration. Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, chief human resources officer at Air Canada, said on Thursday the carrier was 'available to bargain at any time on the condition the negotiation has substance'. Meloul-Wechsler spoke at a press conference held by Air Canada executives that ended abruptly when union members carrying placards entered the Toronto hotel conference room where it was being held. The dispute hinges on the way airlines compensate flight attendants. Most have traditionally paid them only when planes are in motion. In their latest contract negotiations, flight attendants in North America have sought compensation for hours worked, including for tasks such as boarding passengers and waiting at the airport before and between flights. The union said Air Canada had offered to begin compensating flight attendants for some unpaid work, which the union said amounts to about 35 hours a month, but only at 50% of their hourly rate. The airline said it had offered a 38% increase in total compensation for flight attendants over four years, with a 25% raise in the first year. The union has not publicised what it has asked for in terms of higher wages.
New York Post
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Disneyland announces closure of beloved ride as 70th anniversary celebration kicks off
The future looks grim for some Disney-horror fans — but not for long. The Anaheim, California, amusement park, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, is putting a pause on the beloved Haunted Mansion ride, based on the 2003 film. 4 Disneyland's Haunted Mansion is temporarily closing to get ready for Halloween. MediaNews Group via Getty Images After looking at the Disney park's website page for the attraction, fans discovered that it will be closed for a period over the summer, likely for its seasonal makeover. Starting August 11, park goers won't be able to hop on a Doom Buggy for a tour of the eerie mansion with grim grinning ghosts. While the Disney website currently shows no availability for the ride through the end of the month, the Daily Mail reported that its set to reopen on August 22. 4 The Haunted Mansion will be temporarily closed beginning August 11. David Nguyen/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images When the Haunted Mansion returns from the dead, it will have been given a Halloween makeover with the spooky theme of Tim Burton's 'The Night Before Christmas.' Jack Skellington, Zero and other characters from the movie will be featured. The ride's spruce up is the start of the Haunted Mansion Holiday, decorated first for spooky season and later for the winter holidays. The spirited decor will adorn the attraction through early 2026. Disneyland has not officially given a reason for the closure, but the timing matches up with previous years' timelines as the attraction gets its seasonal makeover. 4 The Halloween makeover will be the theme of Tim Burton's 'The Night Before Christmas.' PRNewsFoto In 2024, however, the holiday remake of the mansion opened earlier than usual in July — but that came after a much longer closure as the park made major updates to the ride, such as a more accessible elevator for guests with disabilities, revamped landscaping and the opening of Madame Leota's Somewhere Beyond gift shop. Though a temporary closure of an attraction due to updates or makeovers is not unusual, fans typically still get upset regardless — especially for the Haunted Mansion, which is one of the park's most iconic attractions and people sometimes visit specifically for this ride. 4 Though a temporary closure of an attraction is not unusual, fans typically still get upset regardless. AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images A few other attractions are going to be temporarily closed for seasonal updates as the official anniversary approaches on July 17. Pixar Pal-A-Round eccentric wheel and the Star Tours motion simulator in Tomorrowland will both be closed then for seasonal refurbishments, as will the Main Street Cinema as they install the new 'Last Verse' video. The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and the Storybook Land Canal Boats will both temporarily close July 21, and on July 28, DCA's Incredicoaster and Casey Jr. Circus Train will be put on pause.
