Air Canada Settles with Flight Attendants, Ending Strike

On Tuesday, Air Canada announced plans to gradually restore its operations following a deal with the union representing 10,000 flight attendants, bringing an end to their strike.

The breakthrough was revealed by the union early on Tuesday after talks resumed late on Monday. The strike had been affecting roughly 130,000 passengers daily during the peak season for summer travel.

Canada’s primary airline stated that flight services would begin resuming on Tuesday evening.

The union explained that the new agreement ensures payment for duties performed while the aircraft are on the ground, addressing one of the chief issues behind the walkout.

"We've eliminated unpaid work. We have regained our influence and strength," declared the union in a statement. "We stood united when our rights were challenged, fought back, and now have a tentative deal our members will vote on."

Air Canada's CEO, Michael Rousseau, highlighted the complexity of reviving a major airline's operations, noting that full service might not be achieved until seven to ten days later. Several flights are expected to be cancelled until schedules stabilize.

“Complete recovery might require over a week's time, and we kindly ask for patience and understanding from our customers during this period,” Rousseau added in a release.

According to the airline, mediation talks were contingent upon the union’s agreement for the 10,000 flight attendants to promptly return to their duties. Air Canada has reserved further comments on the agreement until its formal ratification, and assured that a strike or lockout won't be possible during this phase.

This agreement came after the union announced that flight attendants would not resume duties despite existing orders.

Initially, Air Canada indicated rolling cancellations would extend until Tuesday afternoon because the union ignored a second directive to return to work.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board had already declared the strike illegal on Monday and instructed flight attendants to resume work, yet the union chose to defy this mandate. Union officials also disregarded an earlier directive over the weekend to undergo binding arbitration and cease the strike by Sunday afternoon.

Air Canada usually operates around 700 flights daily. On Monday, the airline estimated that approximately 500,000 passengers would be affected due to the flight cancellations.

Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, the country’s largest, is preparing to deploy extra personnel to aid travelers and facilitate the restart operations.

Passengers with interrupted travel plans are entitled to request complete refunds via the airline’s website or app, as announced by Air Canada.