Overview

• On August 13, the flight attendant union CUPE served a 72-hour strike notice after a 99.7% authorization vote; Air Canada filed a matching lockout notice after talks collapsed.
• The airline will cancel mainline and Rouge flights starting August 14 and fully suspend operations by August 16, disrupting about 130,000 daily passengers.
• Negotiations center on a proposed 38% pay increase over four years and ground-duty compensation, which CUPE says falls short of inflation and leaves unpaid work unaddressed.
• Affected customers can claim full refunds or rebook free of charge, and Air Canada is arranging alternative travel while regional Jazz and PAL-operated Air Canada Express flights continue.
• The federal government keeps mediators available as Air Canada seeks binding arbitration, a proposal the union opposes to preserve members’ right to vote on any contract.