Topline
Air Canada and its unionized flight attendants reached a tentative contract deal early on Tuesday, which could potentially end a strike that forced the airline to suspend flights impacting half a million passengers.
Air Canada will resume operations after it agreed to a tentative deal with its unionized flight attendants, who began striking on Saturday.
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Key Facts
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the 10,000 striking workers, issued a statement on Facebook saying their mediation with Air Canada was complete and the “strike has ended.”
The union said its negotiators have reached a tentative agreement with the airline, which will be presented to the members, who will then have to vote to ratify it.
In a statement on its website, Air Canada acknowledged the tentative deal and noted a key condition is that the union agreed to have all the striking flight attendants “immediately return to work.”
In its Facebook post, the union urged the striking flight attendants to “fully cooperate with resumption of operations.”
The airline said it will “gradually restart its operations” starting Tuesday evening.
However, the carrier’s President and CEO, Michael Rousseau, noted that the resumption is a complex process and the complete restoration of all flights may take up to a week.
What Do We Know About Air Canada’s Flight Resumptions?
The airline said the first resumed flights are scheduled to depart on Tuesday evening, but the “return to full, regular service may require seven-to-ten days as aircraft and crew are out of position.” Due to this, some flights may be cancelled over the week, “until the schedule is stabilized.” The carrier noted that only customers with confirmed bookings whose flights are shown as operational should go to the airport. For others, Air Canada said it will offer a full refund of rebook them on other airlines.
Crucial Quote
In the airline’s statement, Rousseau apologized to Air Canada’s customers, saying: “We deeply regret and apologize for the impact on them of this labour disruption.” He then added: “Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking. Full restoration may require a week or more, so we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding over the coming days.”
Big Number
437. That is the total number of Air Canada flights scheduled for Tuesday, which have been canceled so far, according to FlightAware data. This account for 73% of the carrier’s scheduled flights for the day. On Monday, 602 Air Canada flights were canceled as the carriers’ operations remained suspended.
What To Watch For
The union and Air Canada’s statements did not offer any details about the tentative deal. In its Facebook post, CUPE said: “We will have zoom road shows and a ratification for this contract. Your right to vote on your wages was preserved and we will go over this on the zoom presentation.”
Further Reaidng
Air Canada Suspends All Flights—Here’s What To Know About Flight Attendant Strike (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2025/08/19/air-canada-and-flight-attendants-union-reach-tentative-deal-to-end-strike-and-resume-flights/