Air Canada passengers are dealing with travel headaches Thursday as the carrier begins cancelling flights ahead of a possible flight attendants’ strike.
The airline said it is gradually shutting down operations before a potential halt to all flights, should no deal be reached by Saturday at 12:58 a.m. ET.
Flight attendants could walk off the job and the airline could lock out employees if the work stoppage occurs.
The Air Canada Component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said it is trying to negotiate a new collective agreement with the airline after its 10-year contract for flight attendants expired March 31.
The union said sticking points in the negotiations include compensation for currently unpaid work, including during boarding, deplaning and medical emergencies on the ground. It also argued that the airline’s current wage offer was “below inflation, below market value, below minimum wage.”
Meanwhile, the airline said in a press release Aug. 11 that its new offer sought no concessions, offered a 38 per cent total pay hike over four years and addressed contract improvements such as ground pay, better pensions and benefits.
Air Canada also said it offered to resolve the dispute through third-party, binding arbitration, but the union rejected the idea, saying it wants members to vote on an agreement.
CTVNews.ca wants to hear from passengers about how the possible Air Canada strike is affecting them.
Have you changed or cancelled your plans? Are you stuck at your destination or worried about your trip? How are you dealing with the disruption? How do you feel about the dispute between the union and company? What do you think needs to be done to help resolve the labour disagreement?
Share your story by emailing us at dotcom@bellmedia.ca with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a CTVNews.ca story.
Advice for customers
Air Canada said on its website that it will notify people if they have cancelled flights and if they could be eligible for a full refund, or for alternative flights with other Canadian and foreign airlines, where available. But the carrier noted that other travel options in many cases “will not be immediately possible” because other carriers are already full during the peak of summer travel.
Air Canada also advised customers to ensure they have a confirmed booking and to check their flight status on www.aircanada.com or on its mobile app before going to the airport.
The airline said it has a flexible rebooking policy for all customers allowing them to change or defer travel for free.
“Air Canada will in all cases inform passengers of their rights under applicable rules if their flight is cancelled or delayed and meet its regulatory obligations,” it stated on its website.
