Air Canada Strike Ends After Tentative Agreement With Flight Attendants

Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing the airline’s flight attendants, have reached a tentative labor agreement, bringing an end to a strike that disrupted thousands of flights and stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers.

“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, CUPE spokesperson, in a statement Tuesday. “Unpaid work is over. We have reclaimed our voice and our power.”

Union members will vote on the proposed agreement to determine whether it becomes permanent. If the members reject it, the strike could resume. The two sides resumed negotiations Monday night, marking the first discussions since the strike began on Saturday.

Impact on Flights and Passengers

The strike led to the cancellation of more than 700 flights daily across Air Canada and its subsidiary, Air Canada Rouge, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. Even with the tentative agreement, flight schedules are not expected to return to normal immediately. As of Tuesday, FlightAware reported over 500 canceled flights, and more than 160 cancellations were already logged for Wednesday.

Air Canada advised that only customers with confirmed bookings for flights operating as scheduled should go to the airport. The airline also warned that it could take up to 10 days to fully resume operations due to aircraft and crew being out of position. In preparation for the strike, Air Canada began scaling back operations two days in advance.

Roughly half of Air Canada’s flights are domestic, with the remainder largely traveling to and from the United States, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. In a statement, the airline expressed regret for the disruption: “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.”

The strike proceeded despite a government order from Canada’s Jobs Minister, issued on the first day of the walkout, directing Air Canada and its employees to resume operations immediately.

Union Demands and Wage Dispute

The strike was initiated after 10,000 flight attendants voted overwhelmingly in favor—99.7%—of a work stoppage. The union cited wage increases and paid compensation for tasks performed during flight delays, safety checks, onboard medical emergencies, and passenger assistance as the primary demands.

Wages were the central point of contention, with CUPE noting that flight attendants’ pay has fallen behind industry standards and inflation. Since 2000, Canada’s cost of living has risen by 169%, and the average full-time wage has increased 210%. However, entry-level Air Canada flight attendants have seen only a 10% pay increase, amounting to about $3 per hour, over the past 25 years.

The strike represented one of the largest work stoppages in the airline’s recent history, with the union emphasizing the need for fair compensation and improved working conditions. Pouliot called the agreement a “historic fight” that would bring lasting change to the industry.

As negotiations continue and the union prepares to vote on the tentative deal, both the airline and passengers are looking forward to a gradual return to normal operations. Air Canada has pledged to prioritize restoring its full schedule while minimizing further disruptions to travelers.