Air Canada union ends strike: Know when affected flights will resume

Air Canada has announced that it has reached a deal with the union on Tuesday, brining an end to the strike by fight attendants and other workers.

Striking Air Canada flight attendants hold placards as they defy a back to work order at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada(REUTERS)

The union posted on its website: “The Strike has ended. We have a tentative agreement we will bring forward to you.”

“Flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge have reached a tentative agreement, achieving transformational change for our industry after a historic fight to affirm our Charter rights,” said Hugh Pouliot, spokesman for the Canadian Union for Public Employees (CUPE), in a statement.

“Unpaid work is over. We have reclaimed our voice and our power,” they added further.

Following this announcement, Air Canada also stated it will gradually resume its flight services.

“The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers. We deeply regret and apologize for the impact on them of this labour disruption. Our priority now is to get them moving as quickly as possible. Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking. Full restoration may require a week or more, so we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding over the coming days. I assure them that everyone at Air Canada is doing everything possible to enable them to travel soon,” said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.

Air Canada further added that the first flights to be unaffected are scheduled for Tuesday evening, August 19.

“Customers are advised that the airline’s return to full, regular service may require seven-to-ten days as aircraft and crew are out of position. During this process, some flights will be cancelled over the next seven to ten days until the schedule is stabilized,” the official statement adds.

Why were Air Canada attendants on strike?

Last week, Air Canada announced it will be suspending flights of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge due to the strike by CUPE flight attendants. The strike impacted around 130,000 customers every day.

On Monday, the Canada Industrial Relations Board had declared the strike illegal and ordered all flight attendants to go back to work. Defying this back-to-work order, the strike entered its fourth day on Tuesday.

Air Canada’s flight attendants and staff staged a walkout over pay and conditions such as compensation during boarding.

The workers were seeking wage increased and paid compensation for when planes are grounded. Around 10,000 flight attendants were on strike.