Air Canada’s more than 10,500 flight attendants announced they will walk off the job starting Saturday if a deal is not reached.
In response, the airline said it’s slowly starting to suspend flights as a result.
Flight attendants served a 72-hour strike notice early Wednesday after failing to reach a deal, their union said in a statement.
Members voted 99.7 per cent in favour of a strike mandate.
“We have shown up prepared, bargained in good faith, and made progress on some items. Despite our best efforts, Air Canada refused to address our core issues,” the union said, adding it continues to negotiate. “Air Canada’s latest response made one thing clear: they are not interested in resolving these issues.”
A further update will be issued Wednesday evening, the union added.
The first flights will be cancelled Aug. 14, with flights to completely grounded by Aug. 16, the company said. However, regional flights of Air Canada Express are unaffected since they are operated by a third party.
According to Air Canada, customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and they will be eligible for a full refund.
The company also says it has made arrangements with other Canadian and foreign carriers to provide customers alternative travel options to the extent possible.
With files from Star wire services
