Air Canada suspends operations as flight attendants go on strike

Air Canada has suspended operations as more than 10,000 of its flight attendants went on strike early Saturday after the airline and the union failed to reach a deal ahead of the deadline.

All Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge operations have been cancelled or are in the process of being cancelled. Flights by Air Canada Express, which are operated by third-party airlines, are not affected.

For those customers due to travel soon whose flights are not yet cancelled, Air Canada says it has put in place a “goodwill policy” to allow them to rebook their travel or obtain a credit for future travel.

The airline says about 130,000 customers will be impacted each day that the strike continues and some 25,000 Canadians may be stranded abroad daily. Air Canada operates about 700 flights a day.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) gave a 72-hour strike notice on Wednesday after midnight. Air Canada responded shortly after by saying it would lock out workers, and it began winding down operations on Thursday with a gradual suspension of flights.

The contract fight escalated on Friday as the union turned down the airline’s request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which would eliminate its right to strike and allow a third-party arbitrator to decide the terms of a new contract.

Flight attendants walk off the job

Flight attendants walked off the job at 12:58 a.m. ET Saturday. Around the same time, Air Canada said it would begin locking flight attendants out of airports.

• Cross Country Checkup is asking:  How have you been affected by the Air Canada strike? What should be done about it?  Leave your comment here and we may read it or call you back for our show on Sunday.

Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu met with both the airline and union on Friday night.

In a statement posted on social media, she said she urged them to “work harder” to reach a deal “once and for all.”

“It is unacceptable that such little progress has been made. Canadians are counting on both parties to put forward their best efforts,” Hajdu said on social media platform X.