MONTREAL — Air Canada says it plans to resume flights today after the federal government stepped in and ordered binding arbitration to end a flight attendants’ strike Saturday.
The airline says the first flights will resume this evening, but that it will take several days before its operations return to normal.
Air Canada says it has been directed by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to resume operations and have flight attendants continue their duties by 2 p.m. ET.
The federal government ordered the airline and its flight attendants back to work Saturday, ending a strike and lockout after less than 12 hours.
Because Air Canada had implemented its shutdown and suspended operations at 01:30 EDT on Aug. 16, aircraft and crew are out of position vis-à-vis the schedule. Restart of operations will begin immediately, with first flights this evening, but Air Canada expects it will take several days before its operations return to normal. During this process, some flights will be cancelled over the next 7-10 days until the schedule is stabilized.
The CIRB further ordered that the term of the collective agreement between Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) that expired on March 31, 2025, be extended to include the period beginning on April 1, 2025, and ending on the day on which the new collective agreement between the parties comes into effect.
The CIRB also imposed final binding arbitration to resolve the outstanding terms of the collective agreement. Thew arbitration procedure will be addressed in the coming days and weeks.
CUPE, which represents more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants, has accused federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu of caving to Air Canada’s demands.
CUPE announced its members were heading to the picket lines after being unable to reach an eleventh-hour deal with the airline, while Air Canada locked out its agents about 30 minutes later due to the strike action.
INFORMATION FOR CUSTOMERS
Customers whose flights were cancelled and did not travel and who did not accept a refund or credit for future travel, will be notified and provided a new itinerary.
Air Canada recommends against customers going to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking and their flights are showing as operating. Travellers can check their flight’s status on www.aircanada.com or on the airline’s mobile app before going to the airport.
Customers are also advised to use self-service tools as contact centre wait times are expected to remain elevated during the ramp up period.
Under Canada’s Airline Passenger Protection Regulations, customers in Canada are not eligible for compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, meals, hotels or other incidental expenses for situations outside the carrier’s control, such as a labour disruption. Air Canada says that it will inform passengers in all cases of their rights under applicable rules if their flight is cancelled or delayed and meet its regulatory obligations.
With files from The Canadian Press
