A Canadian traveller remains stranded in China after her return flight was cancelled amid the ongoing Air Canada strike, despite a tentative agreement reached between the airline and its flight attendants’ union.
Bonnie Guan, a producer with Breakfast Television, had been scheduled to fly back to Canada but was informed that her flight was cancelled due to the labour dispute. Speaking with CityNews, Guan expressed uncertainty about when she’ll be able to return home, saying she’s received little clarity from the airline.
“I should be in the air flying right now to Vancouver and then back to Toronto, but clearly, that did not happen… It’s been frustrating but unsurprising, given everything that’s happened,” Guan said, adding that even with news of a tentative deal, she has yet to receive confirmation of a rescheduled flight.
“It’s going to take several days for anything to get back to normal.”
Maxime Vidal, another Canadian traveller, told The Canadian Press he and his family were supposed to fly to Paris from Toronto’s Pearson airport on Tuesday, but the flight was cancelled and they’ve heard no word yet from the airline on when they’ll be rebooked.
Vidal says the delays have forced them to spend hundreds of dollars on extra nights’ stay at a hotel, and they’re not sure how long they’ll be stuck in Toronto.
Despite tentative agreement, Air Canada travellers face ongoing disruptions
The airline noted that the first flights are scheduled for Tuesday evening (Aug. 19), but customers are advised that the airline’s return to full, regular service “may require seven to ten days as aircraft and crew are out of position.”
Travellers like Guan remain in limbo as the airline works to rebook affected passengers.
“If I were to try to return home myself this week on a new booking [with a new airline], it would be over $15,000 for me, my husband and my two young kids,” Guan explained. “It gets cheaper in September, but it’s pushing it. I have had to cancel appointments, had to sell tickets for a concert I was going to this weekend, and my son is going to miss his first week of school.”
Flight attendants walked off the job early Saturday after turning down the airline’s request to enter into government-directed arbitration. The union, representing over 10,000 flight attendants, has been pushing for better wages and working conditions.
Passengers are being urged to monitor updates from Air Canada and seek alternative travel arrangements where possible.
Air Canada operates around 700 flights per day. The airline estimated Monday that some 500,000 customers’ flights have been cancelled since the strike began.
“I am lucky that I have family here that I can stay with in different places,” Guan said.
Editor’s note: Rogers is the parent company of this station and its affiliates, including Breakfast Television, where Guan works.
