Attendants union says there’s nonetheless time to achieve an settlement, as airline warns 100,000 passengers affected by Friday.
Air Canada says it’s at an deadlock with its negotiations with the union representing its flight attendants and has introduced that will probably be pausing all its flights on Saturday morning.
Air Canada mentioned on Thursday it expects to cancel a number of dozen flights by day’s finish and roughly 500 flights by the tip of Friday, affecting 100,0000 passengers, upfront of a deliberate Saturday strike by its unionised flight attendants.
The Air Canada executives had been talking at a information convention that ended abruptly resulting from protests by union members donning placards.
Mark Nasr, chief operations officer at Air Canada, mentioned the complexity of the provider’s community, which operates greater than 250 plane on flights to greater than 65 international locations, requires it to start out winding down service now.
A strike would hit the nation’s tourism sector throughout the peak of summer season journey and poses a brand new check for the governing Liberal authorities beneath Prime Minister Mark Carney, which has been requested by the provider to intervene and impose arbitration.
Air Canada and low-cost provider Air Canada Rouge carry about 130,000 clients a day. Air Canada can be the international provider with the most important variety of flights to the US.
US provider United Airways, a code-share associate of Air Canada, mentioned it has issued a journey waiver to assist clients handle their journey plans.
Half of hourly price for hours labored
The dispute hinges on the way in which airways compensate flight attendants. Most airways have historically paid attendants solely when planes are in movement.
However of their newest contract negotiations, flight attendants in North America have sought compensation for hours labored, together with for duties like boarding passengers and ready across the airport earlier than and between flights.
The union mentioned Air Canada had supplied to start compensating flight attendants for some unpaid work, however solely at 50 % of their hourly price.
The airline mentioned it had supplied a 38 % improve in whole compensation for flight attendants over 4 years, with a 25 % increase within the first yr.
Restarting Air Canada’s operations would take every week to finish, Nasr instructed reporters in Toronto.
“It’s merely not the type of system that we are able to begin or cease on the push of a button,” he mentioned. “So as a way to have a protected and orderly wind down, we have to start down.”
FlightAware knowledge reveals Air Canada has, to this point, cancelled solely 4 flights as of Thursday morning.
Earlier within the day, Canadian Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu urged the nation’s largest provider and union to return to the bargaining desk to attain a deal that would avert disruptions.
“I perceive this dispute is inflicting a substantial amount of frustration and anxiousness to Canadians who’re travelling or worrying about how they may get house,” she mentioned in an announcement posted on X. “I urge each events to place their variations apart, come again to the bargaining desk and get this carried out now for the various vacationers who’re relying on you.”
A spokesperson for the Canadian Union of Public Staff, which represents the provider’s 10,000 flight attendants, mentioned Air Canada negotiators are usually not bargaining and haven’t responded to a proposal they made earlier this week.
“We consider the corporate desires the federal authorities to intervene and bail them out.”
CUPE has beforehand mentioned it opposes binding arbitration.
Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, chief human sources officer at Air Canada, mentioned the provider by no means left the desk.
“We’re nonetheless out there to cut price at any time on the situation that the negotiation has substance,” she mentioned.