After a weekend of chaos, Air Canada has finally brokered a deal with its flight attendants’ union, ending a strike that stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers.
According to AP News, early Tuesday, the airline reached a tentative agreement with the union representing 10,000 flight attendants, halting a disruptive strike that began over the weekend and promising a gradual return to normal operations over the next seven to 10 days.
The trouble started early Saturday when flight attendants walked off the job, rejecting Air Canada’s push for government-directed arbitration.
At the height of summer travel, the strike hit hard, affecting roughly 130,000 travelers daily. Air Canada, which operates around 700 flights per day, saw massive disruptions as cancellations rolled out.
By Monday, the airline estimated 500,000 customers would be impacted by the chaos. Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported over 1,200 domestic and nearly 1,340 international flights canceled since last Thursday, when Air Canada began suspending operations.
Negotiations stalled until late Monday, marking the first talks since the strike kicked off.
The Canadian government stepped in, ordering the Canada Industrial Relations Board—an independent tribunal enforcing labor laws—to intervene. The board declared the strike illegal on Monday and ordered workers back, but the union defied the directive.
Union leaders also ignored a weekend order to accept binding arbitration and end the strike by Sunday afternoon. Labor advocates criticized the government’s repeated use of laws that strip workers’ strike rights, a tactic seen in other sectors like ports and railways.
The standoff finally broke early Tuesday with the help of a mediator, leading to a tentative deal.
The agreement addresses a core issue: guaranteeing pay for ground work, a major sticking point for strikers. As the union stated, “Unpaid work is over.”
“We have reclaimed our voice and power,” the union added in a statement celebrating the preserved right to vote on the deal.
Air Canada’s CEO, Michael Rousseau, cautioned, “Full restoration may take a week or more.” He urged patience from customers as the airline navigates this complex restart.
Flights are set to resume at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, though only about half of the scheduled services will operate, prioritizing international outbound routes. Mainline North American routes will ramp up starting Wednesday morning, while some cancellations will linger through Tuesday afternoon.
Passengers can request full refunds via Air Canada’s website or app if their flights are impacted. Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Canada’s largest, will deploy extra staff to assist during the startup. For investors and travelers alike, this saga underscores the fragility of critical infrastructure—and the cost of government overreach in labor disputes that could be resolved through market-driven negotiations.