Air Canada Flight Attendants Launch Strike, Disrupting Summer Travel Plans

Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job on Saturday after talks with management failed, triggering a strike that has already upended travel for more than 100,000 passengers and threatens wider disruption during the busy summer holiday season.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the cabin crew, confirmed the work stoppage in a late-night statement. “We are now officially on strike,” the union declared, after negotiations broke down over pay and working conditions.

Air Canada, the country’s largest carrier, transports about 130,000 passengers daily. The airline had warned travelers earlier in the week that it would begin winding down services in anticipation of the strike. By 8 p.m. Friday, it had already canceled 623 flights, affecting more than 100,000 passengers. Further cancellations and delays are expected in the coming days.

At the heart of the dispute are wages and compensation for ground duties such as assisting with boarding — work that flight attendants say is essential but unpaid. CUPE argues that while attendants are compensated for hours in the air, they receive nothing for time spent helping passengers on the ground.

Rafael Gomez, director of the University of Toronto’s Center for Industrial Relations, noted that this practice is widespread across the airline industry but acknowledged the union’s success in framing the issue. “An average passenger might think, ‘I’m waiting to board the plane and there’s a flight attendant helping me, but they’re technically not being paid for that work,’” Gomez explained. “That’s a very good issue to highlight.”

Air Canada has defended its pay structure, outlining in a statement Thursday that under its most recent offer, a senior flight attendant would earn an average of CAN$87,000 ($65,000) by 2027. The airline has also called for independent arbitration to settle the dispute, but CUPE has rejected the idea, insisting the company’s proposals remain “below inflation and below market value.”

The walkout comes at the peak of the summer travel season, raising fears of widespread chaos at airports across Canada. Industry experts believe, however, that the strike may not last long.

“This is peak season. The airline does not want to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue,” Gomez said. “They’re almost playing chicken with the flight attendants.”

The federal government has urged both sides to reach a deal quickly, warning that prolonged disruption could have ripple effects across the country’s transportation sector. For now, thousands of travelers face uncertainty as one of North America’s largest airlines remains locked in a high-stakes standoff with its cabin crew.