The work stoppage, initiated by flight attendants seeking better wages, has led to the cancellation of all Air Canada operations, impacting roughly 130,000 passengers daily.
**Air Canada Faces Major Disruption as Cabin Crew Strike Takes Flight**
**Air Canada Faces Major Disruption as Cabin Crew Strike Takes Flight**
Air Canada's cabin staff launch a strike, grounding flights and affecting thousands of travelers.
Air Canada has initiated a complete suspension of its flights in response to a strike by its cabin staff that started early Saturday. The action, confirmed by the union representing over 10,000 flight attendants, is expected to disrupt travel for approximately 130,000 passengers each day. Air Canada has advised customers to refrain from heading to the airport unless they are flying with another airline.
The strike commenced at 00:58 ET (04:58 GMT), although the airline had already begun to reduce its services in anticipation. Currently, it's estimated that up to 500 flights are impacted each day due to this industrial action, affecting notably those flights under its budget subsidiary, Air Canada Rouge.
Flight attendants have organized pickets at major Canadian airports, where passengers have begun seeking alternative travel arrangements. Air Canada operates flights to around 180 destinations globally and emphasized that it had "suspended all operations" while advising passengers against traveling to the airport under these circumstances. However, operations for Air Canada Jazz, PAL Airlines, and Air Canada Express remain unaffected.
The airline expressed regret over the disruption caused to its customers. In preparation for the strike, Air Canada had already cancelled 623 flights by Friday night, impacting more than 100,000 individuals.
Contract negotiations had seen the airline offer a 38% increase in total compensation over the next four years but included a 25% raise in the first year. The union, CUPE, contends that this offer falls short of inflation rates and market standards, leaving many attendants unpaid for portions of their ground work, including boarding and waiting times at airports.
Public exchanges between the airline and the union have escalated tensions, as CUPE criticized Air Canada for not negotiating in good faith. Earlier this month, 99.7% of the union's members voted in favor of the strike action.
Canadian jobs minister Patty Hajdu urged both parties to return to the bargaining table to prevent the strike from escalating. Despite Air Canada's request for government-directed arbitration, CUPE insists that it has been negotiating sincerely for over eight months. The union states, "When we stood strong together, Air Canada didn't come to the table in good faith."
