Flight attendant work stoppage due to begin Saturday

Air Canada planned to suspend flights beginning Thursday because of a threatened strike on Saturday by 10,000 flight attendants at the airline and Air Canada Rouge. According to a statement from the carrier, despite eight months of good faith negotiations that included the assistance of federal conciliators, and an offer to enter binding arbitration, Air Canada has been unable to reach a tentative agreement with the union.

Michael Rousseau, CEO, said the airline regrets the impact a disruption will have on customers, stakeholders and the communities Air Canada serves. However, he said, the “disappointing conduct” of the union’s negotiators and its stated intention to launch a strike puts the company in a position “where our only responsible course of action is to provide certainty by implementing an orderly suspension of Air Canada’s and Air Canada Rouge’s operations through a lockout.”

Rousseau continued, “As we have seen elsewhere in our industry with other labor disruptions, unplanned or uncontrolled shutdowns, such as we are now at risk of through a strike, can create chaos for travelers that is far, far worse.”

Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz and PAL Airlines will continue to operate as normal. However, these regional partners carry only about 20% of Air Canada’s daily customers. Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge carry approximately 130,000 customers a day who could be affected by a disruption. This includes the 25,000 Canadians that the airline flies home from abroad each day, who could be stranded.