An image of the tail section of an Air Canada Aircraft. Image courtesy of Air Canada's social media feed.
Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants have reached a tentative agreement to end a strike that disrupted travel nationwide over the weekend.
The strike began early Saturday morning, grounding flights and stranding passengers across the country. After overnight negotiations with a federal mediator, the airline and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced a deal early Tuesday.
Air Canada says it will begin gradually restoring service tonight, but cautions that a full return to normal operations could take up to 10 days. Aircraft and crew are currently out of position, and some flights will continue to be cancelled until the schedule stabilizes.
The airline is advising passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport. “Only customers with confirmed bookings whose flights are shown as operating should go to the airport,” Air Canada said.
For those affected by cancellations, the airline is offering full refunds, travel credits, or rebooking on other carriers where possible.
The federal government intervened in the dispute Saturday morning, invoking Section 107 of the Labour Code to force both sides into binding arbitration. Union officials initially defied the order, prompting the Canada Industrial Relations Board to declare the strike unlawful on Monday.
The tentative agreement will now be presented to CUPE members for ratification.
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