Air Canada is experiencing significant operational meltdowns. Flight attendants were the first to begin a strike on the grounds of a dispute over pay and working conditions. The airline flies to 64 other countries and has a fleet of 259 airplanes. It cautioned that without resolution of emerging labor disputes, a shutdown of flight operations might be necessary. According to Via Rail, this strike could interfere with travel plans for about 130,000 customers each day and affect about 25,000 Canadians.
Earlier this month, a unanimous 99.7% of Air Canada’s flight attendants voted to strike. Under these circumstances, the union moved in no time to give a 72-hour strike notice. In response, Air Canada announced its intention to lock-out ACAE members with a 72 hour-notice. This decision led to the closing down of activity and the termination of hundreds of flights. In fact, on Friday alone, the airline expected to have to cancel as many as 500 flights, impacting nearly 100,000 customers.
Air Canada just gave its flight attendants a 38% pay hike, including improvements to pension contributions and benefits, over four years. This proposal has created the most intense employees’ blow-back. Year one of this plan included an impressive 25% increase. Representatives from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) argue that the current offer still falls “below inflation, below market value, below minimum wage.”
Air Canada is eager to settle the matter out of court. They have called on Canada’s jobs minister, Patty Hajdu, to intervene and refer the dispute for binding arbitration. This request seeks to facilitate negotiations and bring about a swift resolution to the ongoing conflict between the airline and its flight attendants.
Mark Nasr, Air Canada’s Chief Operations Officer, emphasized the complexity of the airline’s operations. He noted that “we can start or stop at the push of a button,” indicating that halting services is not as straightforward as it may appear. This vast complexity makes the premier logistical challenge for the airline. It is largely irresponsible to its customers who continue to rely on its service for most of their travel needs.
To mitigate the impact of the strike, Air Canada has made arrangements with other Canadian and foreign carriers to provide alternative travel options for its customers. Despite these efforts, the situation is still tenuous as flight attendant and airline continue to negotiate around the clock.