Air Canada’s flight attendants have ended their first strike in 40 years after reaching a tentative agreement, ending a four-day walkout over unpaid work. The airline will take up to a week to fully restore flights, while the government probes labour practices in the sector.
Flights will gradually resume, with full operations expected to take a week or more. Some cancellations will continue during this period; affected passengers can request refunds, travel credits, or rebooking.
Key issue: The union pushed for pay covering unpaid tasks such as passenger boarding. While full terms weren’t disclosed, CUPE declared “unpaid work is over.”
Canada’s Jobs Minister pledged to investigate unpaid work practices in the airline sector after the strike defied a federal order to return to work.
The strike disrupted travel for hundreds of thousands of passengers, forced Air Canada to withdraw earnings guidance, and added to broader labour unrest in Canada’s transportation sector.