Air Canada announces suspension of flights, strike continues
Air Canada's resumption of flights has been postponed until the evening of Monday, August 18. The airline announced on Sunday, August 17, that it was suspending its limited resumption of operations after the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) ordered its members to challenge the Canada Industrial Relations Board's (CIRB) directive to return to work.
Canadian Employment Minister Patty Hajdu had invoked a legal provision to force the company and the union to resort to independent arbitration, through the CIRB. The CIRB had "ordered Air Canada to resume operations and all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to return to their duties by 6 p.m. GMT [8 p.m. Paris time] on August 17, 2025."
The CUPE union, which represents some 10,000 cabin crew employees, confirmed Sunday that it would continue the strike: "Our members will not return to work. We say no," said CUPE national president Mark Hancock outside Toronto's airport, denouncing an "unfair" process and an "unconstitutional" decision. Hundreds of people demonstrated in solidarity with Air Canada cabin crew employees outside the company's head office Sunday morning in Montreal, according to the union .
Nearly 700 flights canceled, more than 100,000 passengers affectedCUPE went on strike overnight from Friday to Saturday to demand better pay. Beyond a pay raise, flight crews are demanding to be paid for the hours they work on the ground, including during boarding, which is not the case today.
In response to the strike, Air Canada and its low-cost subsidiary, Air Canada Rouge, launched a "lockout." Even before the strike officially began, the airline had been gradually reducing its operations. As of Friday evening, it announced it had already canceled 623 flights in the past few days, affecting more than 100,000 passengers.
The company also detailed on Thursday, August 14, a compromise offer to increase the average annual salary of a senior flight attendant to 87,000 Canadian dollars (54,000 euros) by 2027, but CUPE deemed the proposals insufficient, particularly in light of inflation.
The union had also rejected requests from the company and the Canadian government to resort to independent arbitration.
