TORONTO — Check the weather. Check the sightseeing to-do’s. Check the … airline labour negotiations?
Travellers are used to doing their own ‘pre-flight checks’ before their vacations. It’s safe to say those checks typically don’t include a comprehensive look at the nitty-gritty dates and details of union talks with their airline of choice.
But after two labour disruptions in less than a year at Canada’s two biggest carriers – and seeing how quickly things go south with flight cancellations when talks break off – Canadian vacationers may be understandably more mindful these days about how strike action can impact travel plans. Travel advisors are more than aware. They’re the ones handling the frantic calls from clients, not to mention the rebookings.
Travelweek asked aviation industry expert John Gradek for a look-ahead to labour negotiations in the pipeline for Canada’s major airlines.
The most recent disruption is first on the list. WestJet worked quickly to restore its schedule after the flight attendants’ strike during the August long weekend. Now travellers and the industry are waiting to see if the Aug. 3 deal will hold.
“The live one is WestJet’s CUPE flight attendants,” says Gradek. “They struck in early August, reached a tentative deal Aug 3 and are voting on it this week, with results expected around Aug 24.” Ratification isn’t a formality, he adds. “WestJet’s own mechanics rejected a recommended deal in 2024, and this one came in short of the full ground-pay the union wanted, the same issue that’s sunk cabin crew votes elsewhere. A no-vote reopens strike or lockout risk on 72 hours’ notice.”
Earlier this month CUPE said the deal with WestJet includes a more than 18% wage hike over three years, as well as a new duty period premium that adds compensation for work done on the ground.
Dispatchers at Jazz, which clears about a fifth of Air Canada’s daily flights, just settled and are ratifying, Gradek notes.
Air Transat is “the quiet contrast, attendants and pilots both under fresh deals,” he says. Air Transat’s pilots ratified their five-year deal in January. The flight attendants struck a deal in 2024.
Porter Airlines announced the ratification of its deal with its flight dispatchers back in January. Meanwhile the carrier’s 1,200 cabin crew just unionized and face a first contract. “So a look-out for this one, though not likely until spring 2027.”
“BOTH SIDES NOW BARGAIN LIKE NO ONE’S COMING TO RESCUE THEM”
“The old reflex that a deal always appears at 11:59 p.m. is fading,” says Gradek, when asked for his take on airline labour negotiations these days.
Right now the world’s airlines are dealing with fuel costs that could rise by nearly 40%, from US$252 billion last year to $350 billion this year. But keeping the planes in the air means fair deals must be made on the ground. Labour negotiations are part and parcel of the airline business but “crews are done swallowing suppressed wages and unpaid ground work,” says Gradek.
During last year’s strike by Air Canada’s flight attendants, the federal government invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, aimed at getting striking workers back on the job and into binding arbitration. The union defied the back-to-work order until ultimately a deal was reached.
“Ottawa’s habit of stepping in to impose a settlement isn’t the backstop it once was. So both sides now bargain like no one’s coming to rescue them,” says Gradek.
For travellers, insurance is key – and not in the last few days leading up to a possible strike. By mid-July, Manulife had flagged early August’s potential labour action at WestJet as a known event, impacting trip cancellation and interruption benefits.
Gradek’s message: “I wouldn’t say every booking needs a strike-watch. But if you’re flying a carrier in active bargaining, know the timeline, lean toward refundable fares or insurance, and watch for that 72-hour notice, that’s the real warning shot.”
