Air Canada strike over as union, airline reach agreement

MONTREAL/TORONTO: Air Canada’s flight attendants have ended their first strike in four decades after reaching a tentative agreement with the airline, bringing relief to hundreds of thousands of stranded travelers.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 10,400 flight attendants at Air Canada and its low-cost affiliate Rouge, announced the breakthrough on Tuesday after four tense days on the picket line. “The strike has ended. We have a tentative agreement we will bring forward to you,” the union said in a Facebook post.

Air Canada confirmed operations will resume gradually, cautioning that a full return to normal service could take a week or more. The airline, which carries about 130,000 passengers daily and operates the most U.S.-bound flights of any foreign carrier, said mediation with CUPE and Rouge has concluded.

The walkout, sparked by stalled contract negotiations, highlighted long-simmering grievances over unpaid work. Flight attendants currently receive pay only while planes are moving, leaving ground duties such as boarding uncompensated. Workers demanded new contracts that mirror recent wins by U.S. counterparts at carriers like American Airlines.

Lingering costs of conflict: PIA reports Rs4.1 billion loss

Air Canada had offered a 38% boost in total compensation over four years — including a 25% raise in the first year — but the union rejected it, insisting on addressing unpaid work. The defiant strike continued even after the Canada Industrial Relations Board declared it unlawful, creating a rare three-way standoff between the airline, the union, and the federal government.

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu pressed both sides to accept mediation and pledged to investigate allegations of unpaid work across the airline sector. The union’s persistence eventually pushed Air Canada back to the table.

PIA makes British envoy ‘honourary pilot’, gives her captain’s cap

While details of the tentative deal remain undisclosed, union leaders said it would be put forward for member ratification in the coming days. For now, weary travelers can expect gradual relief as flights are restored, though lingering delays are likely as crews and schedules normalise.