The union representing more than 10,000 flight attendants has reached a tentative agreement with Air Canada, ending the strike action that disrupted travel for hundreds of thousands of Canadians.
The two parties hammered out a deal after a nine-hour negotiation, mediated by a mutually agreed-upon third party, which began at 7 p.m. Monday, according to the airline component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
The airline said Tuesday morning that it will begin resuming the operations of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge — grounded since Aug. 16 — with the first flights scheduled for the evening.
Air Canada said that due to the complexity it takes to restart a major carrier, a full return to regular service could take a week or longer. Some flights will be cancelled over this period until the airline’s schedule is stabilized.
“We are deeply apologetic for the impact that this disruption is having on our customers,” said Air Canada’s chief operating officer, Mark Nasr. “Right now, we’re focused on rebuilding the trust and the respect, and that will happen with time, but it starts with getting the planes back in the sky.”
Nasr said his company is expected to operate 53 per cent of flights on Tuesday, moving about 35,000 customers a day and redeploying its international aircraft and crews to their assigned locations.
Flight attendants had been walking off the job since Saturday after contract negotiations hit an impasse over wages and compensation for duties performed before takeoff.
On Tuesday, CUPE said on its website that it has achieved “a transformational change for our industry” after defying a back-to-work order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board and continuing its picket line despite the strike being declared illegal.
“Unpaid work is over,” CUPE wrote on its website. “We have reclaimed our voice and our power.”
The union also advised members to “fully co-operate” with the resumption of operations.
The terms of the tentative agreement remain undisclosed pending a ratification vote by the flight attendants.
The federal government intervened in the strike on Saturday morning, invoking Section 107 of the Labour Code to force the Montreal-based airline and the union into binding arbitration.
Air Canada had intended to restart flights on Sunday, but was prevented by the union’s decision to continue its strike despite the CIRB order and brush-off of the threat of fines and jail time.
Experts told The Star the union’s move was expected, as they believe the system is stacked against workers.
Since 2024, the government has repeatedly invoked Section 107 of the Labour Code to intervene on the side of employers, including during railway strikes and last December’s postal strike.
Air Canada said on Tuesday it will offer options to those with cancelled flights, including a full refund or receiving a credit for future travel.
It will also offer to rebook customers on other airlines where possible.
“Only customers with confirmed bookings whose flights are shown as operating should go to the airport,” the airline said.
The Star reported that some Air Canada passengers, frustrated with the handling of cancelled flights, have joined a class-action lawsuit against the airline.
With files from the Star wires services
