Air Canada’s flight attendants walked off the job early Saturday, launching a nationwide strike that has forced the airline to suspend all operations and left hundreds of thousands of travelers facing severe summer travel disruption.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents roughly 10,000 flight attendants, confirmed the work stoppage began at 12:58 a.m. Eastern Time on August 16. “We are now officially on strike,” the union said in a statement. The walkout immediately halted all flights operated by Air Canada and its low-cost subsidiary, Air Canada Rouge.
Flights operated by Air Canada Express, run by third-party regional carriers, will continue, but the bulk of the airline’s network has been brought to a standstill. Air Canada carries around 130,000 passengers daily and operates nearly 700 flights, making the strike one of the largest labor disruptions in the company’s history.
By late Friday, the airline had already canceled 623 flights in anticipation of the strike, affecting more than 100,000 passengers. It has urged travelers not to come to airports unless they have confirmed reservations on other airlines. “Customers with imminent travel will be notified of cancellations and their available options,” Air Canada said on its website. Those whose flights have not yet been canceled are eligible to rebook or accept travel credits under a goodwill policy.
The strike follows CUPE’s 72-hour strike notice issued Wednesday, after months of failed negotiations. At the heart of the dispute are wages and demands for compensation during ground duties, such as assisting passengers during boarding — time for which attendants currently receive no pay.
“This is an issue of fairness,” said union representatives, arguing that Air Canada’s wage offers fall short of inflation and industry standards. Air Canada’s most recent proposal would see senior flight attendants earn about CAN$87,000 ($65,000) annually by 2027, but CUPE dismissed the offer as inadequate.
Rafael Gomez, director of the University of Toronto’s Centre for Industrial Relations, said the union has effectively raised public awareness of the pay structure. “The average passenger may assume attendants are paid when helping during boarding, but they’re not. That perception of unfairness has strengthened CUPE’s position,” he told AFP.
The Canadian government and Air Canada had both urged the union to accept independent arbitration, but CUPE has rejected that path, maintaining pressure on the airline during the peak summer travel season.
Despite the scale of disruption, Gomez suggested the strike might not last long. “This is peak season. Air Canada does not want to lose hundreds of millions in revenue. In some ways, it’s a game of chicken between the airline and its attendants,” he said.
For now, tens of thousands of travelers are bracing for cancellations, long waits, and uncertain rebookings as the strike enters its first weekend.
