Flight attendants continue strike, all Air Canada flights suspended, again

Air Canada said it has suspended its plan to resume limited flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge on Sunday after the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) “illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy a direction from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to return to work.” The airline now hopes to resume flights tomorrow evening.

All operations of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge were initially suspended on Saturday due to a strike by CUPE. By the Government of Canada's direction, "the CIRB ordered a resumption of our activities and directed our flight attendants to return to work," Air Canada said in a press release.

Approximately 240 flights scheduled to operate beginning this afternoon have now been cancelled by the airline. Typically, the carriers operate 700 flights a day.

Customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and are strongly advised not to go to the airport unless they have confirmed flights with other airlines. Air Canada will offer those with cancelled flights options, including obtaining a full refund or receiving a credit for future travel. The carrier will also offer to rebook customers on other carriers, although capacity is currently limited due to the peak summer travel season.

Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz or PAL continue to operate as normal.

“Why have a union?” public reaction to Air Canada flight attendants' strike

Air Canada said it plans to resume flights on Sunday after the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) acted on a directive from Canadian Labor Minister Patty Hajdu to end a flight attendant strike. The strike resulted in the suspension of more than 700 flights.

The CIRB has directed Air Canada to resume airline operations and for all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to report to work by 2 p.m. EDT on Aug. 17. The strike began early Saturday. Meanwhile, reaction to the strike over social media is asking the question, “So why have a union then?”

Arrest 10,000 Flight Attendants?

Users of the social news and discussion website Reddit believe the power of unions is being undermined by governments once again.

“Gotta love it when the government completely undermines the power of unions,” a reader said in a post on Reddit.

“Not even 12 hours. The federal government not even trying to hide the fact they’re union busting for Air Canada. Setting the precedent for future airlines and companies. Why bargain in good faith when the government is just going to bail you out.

“What are they going to do, arrest 10,000 flight attendants? Levy sanctions?”

The federal government's order to end the strike should put workers back on the job immediately, but it will be several days before Air Canada operations are back to normal.

Cleared For Takeoff

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 canceled over the next seven to ten days until the schedule is stabilized,” the airline said in a press release. “Air Canada deeply regrets the inconvenience for its customers.”

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 strongly recommends against customers going to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking and their flights are showing as operating.

Air Canada Express flights operated by its regional partners, Jazz Aviation LP and Provincial Airlines (PAL), remain operational throughout the strike.

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 labor disruption.