Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants have struck a tentative agreement to end the strike that disrupted flights nationwide since early Saturday morning. The deal, reached after overnight negotiations with the help of a federal mediator, will now be presented to members of the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) for a vote.
In a message to members, the union said, “Your right to vote on your wages was preserved,” while also instructing flight attendants to fully co-operate with the resumption of operations.
Air Canada announced that flights would gradually restart Tuesday evening, but warned it could take seven to 10 days before schedules return to normal. Many aircraft and crew remain out of position, meaning some cancellations will continue until operations stabilize. The airline urged only passengers with confirmed bookings on operating flights to go to the airport. Customers affected by cancellations will be offered refunds, credits for future travel, or rebookings on other airlines where possible.
The strike had been declared unlawful by the Canada Industrial Relations Board after the federal government intervened on Saturday under Section 107 of the Labour Code, sending both sides to binding arbitration. Despite defying that order initially, the union pressed ahead until a breakthrough was reached overnight.
The tentative deal marks a turning point in a tense standoff that saw more than 900 flights cancelled and thousands of passengers stranded across Canada and abroad.