It appears that the bitter labor battle between Air Canada and its flight attendants union is coming to an end. The Canadian flag carrier is expected to slowly restart operations later today.
Air Canada and Flight Attendants Reach Settlement
While the labor battle has been going on for quite some time, things came to a head last week as the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, issued a 72-hour strike notice.
In response, Air Canada began winding down operations and locked out flight attendants in preparation for the strike. The Canadian government ordered union members back to work after less than 12 hours on strike but members refused to return to work. The president of the union even stated that he was willing to go to jail in support of the strike.
Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the two sides worked overnight to reach an agreement in a process overseen by a mutually agreed-to mediator, William Kaplan. Discussions began on the basis that the union commit to have the airline’s 10,000 flight attendants immediately return to work.
Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada, said this about the situation:
“The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers. We deeply regret and apologize for the impact on them of this labor 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.”
Flights are scheduled to resume in the evening of August 19, 2025 but the airline warns that it may take seven to ten days for operations to return to normal. It is encouraging all passengers traveling on Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge to check the status of their flights prior to heading to the airport. If your flight is cancelled, Air Canada is required to rebook passengers on other flights or provide them with a refund.
The New Agreement Still Needs Approval From Union Members
While an agreement has been reached between the two sides, it still needs to be ratified by union members. Ultimately, I believe this passes as crews have already been forced back to work and the government would likely send the two parties right back into binding arbitration if it doesn’t.
I can’t imagine that the two sides landed far from the initial offer that was on the table, with Air Canada flight attendants becoming the highest paid in the country, but for now we have to wait and see.
Terms of the agreement have not been revealed and Air Canada said in a statement that it will not comment on the agreement until the ratification is complete. Should the agreement not be ratified, Air Canada states that during any ratification or under the binding arbitration process, a strike or lockout is not possible. Reassuring weary customers that they can book with the airline in confidence that flights will operate.
Summary
Air Canada is restarting operations after reaching an agreement with its flight attendant union. It will take seven to ten days for operations to return to normal and details of the agreement won’t be revealed until it has been ratified by union members.