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News.com.au
4 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Travellers hit as Air Canada shuts down on looming flight attendant strike
Major international airline Air Canada is shutting down all of its services ahead of looming industrial action, with flights to and from Australia and Vancouver caught up in the sudden furore. The company, which operates in some 65 countries with a fleet of 259 aircraft, announced the shock shutdown this week, notifying travellers it would progressively shutter flights from Thursday, with a full shutdown of all services expected by Saturday. 'Air Canada has been forced into this decision to lock out its flight attendants and regrets the impact the suspension of operations will have on customers as a result of the union's issuance of a strike notice during such a heavy travel period,' the company said in a statement. 'However, as events at other airlines in recent years have shown, sudden or unmanaged work stoppages produce a significantly worse disruption to travel than a planned suspension of flying. 'A controlled wind down allows Air Canada to advise customers in advance, reduces the chance of customers being stranded, provides the airline and customers the time and opportunity to make alternative travel arrangements and gives customers more certainty.' Air Canada operates routes from Brisbane and Sydney to Vancouver and back. The company said impacted customers could alter their flights free of charge. 'If you are booked to travel between August 15 and August 18 and would like to make alternate travel arrangements, you can change your flight for free if you purchased an Air Canada ticket or redeemed points for an Aeroplan flight reward no later than August 13, 2025,' the statement continued. 'If you're scheduled to travel during this period, you can retrieve your booking to change to another Air Canada flight, for free, to another date between August 21 and September 12, 2025. 'If you purchased a non-refundable fare, you may cancel your itinerary and receive the unused portion of your ticket in your AC wallet or as a future travel credit to use on your next Air Canada booking. 'If you purchased your ticket with Air Canada Vacations, please reach out to them directly. 'If you purchased an Aeroplan flight reward, you can cancel without a fee on our website. 'If you opt to keep your current booking and your flight is cancelled due to a labour disruption, Air Canada will attempt to rebook you on another flight, including those operated by other airlines. '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 timeframe is low. 'If your travel is disrupted, you can always choose a refund.' A union strike has triggered the shutdown, with some 10,000 flight attendants set to walk out for better pay. 'We regret the impact a disruption will have on our customers, our stakeholders and the communities we serve,' Air Canada president and chief executive Michael Rousseau said. 'However, the disappointing conduct of CUPE's negotiators and the union's stated intention to launch a strike puts us in a position where our only responsible course of action is to provide certainty by implementing an orderly suspension of Air Canada's and Air Canada Rouge's operations through a lockout. 'As we have seen elsewhere in our industry with other labour disruptions, unplanned or uncontrolled shutdowns, such as we are now at risk of through a strike, can create chaos for travellers that is far, far worse.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What northerners need to know about Air Canada flight cancellations
Air Canada has begun cancelling flights in anticipation of a work stoppage this weekend, but most Air Canada flights to the territories will not be impacted. The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees CUPE, which represents flight attendants with Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, issued a strike notice Tuesday. Air Canada has responded by issuing a lockout notice. Flight attendants could walk off the job as early as 12:58 a.m. E.T. on Saturday, and a lockout is expected to start that morning. Air Canada says it will continue to cancel more and more flights until the work stoppage begins. These disruptions will only affect Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights. Flight attendants working for Jazz and PAL, which operate Air Canada Express and Air Canada Jazz, are not part of the negotiations. Will your flight be cancelled? In N.W.T., Air Canada runs three routes: Edmonton-Yellowknife, Vancouver-Yellowknife, and Toronto-Yellowknife. Edmonton-Yellowknife and Vancouver-Yellowknife flights are generally operated by Air Canada Jazz or Express, and wouldn't be cancelled. But Toronto-Yellowknife flights, which are operated by Air Canada Rouge, could be cancelled. In the Yukon, Air Canada flies between Whitehorse and Vancouver. That route is operated by Jazz and will not be cancelled as part of the labour disruptions. However, northerners taking Air Canada flights with a stopover in southern Canada could see disruptions to other legs of their trip. Canadian North customers could also be affected if their flight includes an Air Canada leg. Calm Air, which serves Nunavut's Kivalliq region, also has routes that include Air Canada legs. However, CEO Gary Bell, told CBC that less than five per cent of Calm Air customers would be affected by the Air Canada flight disruptions, adding that only flights between Winnipeg, Manitoba and other parts of southern Canada would be impacted, not flights to and from Nunavut. What to do if your flight is cancelled John Gradek, co-ordinator of the aviation management program at McGill University in Montreal, told CBC that Air Canada has several obligations to travellers under Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations. First, the carrier has to communicate flight cancellations and get in touch with travellers via text, voicemail or email to advise travellers of their options. Usually, that means paying to rebook a passenger on a new flight with a different airline, which arrives at their destination within 48 hours of the arrival time on the original ticket. If Air Canada can't do that or the itinerary it offers doesn't meet the passenger's travel expectations, it is obligated to issue a refund on the value of the ticket that the passenger holds. Any costs related to hotels and meals, or those incurred while waiting for rescheduled flights, "will have to be covered by Air Canada," Gradek added, noting passengers should be ready to present receipts and points to make their case to the airline. Canadian North says how its passengers facing cancellations should respond will depend on how they booked their flight. If the Air Canada leg was booked through a separate ticket, they should ask Air Canada to rebook them. If the flight was booked entirely through Canadian North, Canadian North will be responsible for re-booking them on a new flight in accordance with regulations.
