With strike by flight attendants, Air Canada begins to cancel

Air Canada suspended flights as a possible strike by flight attendant Karghe on Thursday morning.

“We have started a gradual suspension of Air Canada and Air Canada Rose operation this morning with Chief Human Resource Officer Ariel Melol-Vechler, Chief Human Resource Officer Mark Nasar, Chief Human Resource Officer Ariel-Wicker. All flights will be stopped by Saturday morning,” we said at a news conference.

Air Canada said earlier this week that it would begin to cancel flights on Thursday to reduce the impact of a possible strike on Thursday which could start before 1 pm on Saturday.

Canadian passengers are eagerly waiting for the news of canceled flights. As ET at 10 pm, flight tracking website Flightware showed that nine air Canada flights were canceled.

Earlier on Thursday, the Federal Job Minister says that he asked the Canada Union of Public Employees to respond to the airline’s request to force the arbitration.

Minister Patty Hazdu wrote on X, “I have met both sides during the entire bargaining process and firmly urged them to come on an agreement.”

“Air Canada presented a request that I make a referral under Section 107 of the Canada Labor Code to send parties to parties for mediation. I have asked the Sangh to respond to the request of the employer.”

Earlier this week, Air Canada sent a proposal to CUPE that parties use binding interest arbitration to come on an agreement as they negotiate renewal of a 10 -year collective agreement for over 10,000 flight attendants.

CUPE refused to use mediation, a process in which an external mediated specific agenda hears the proposal from each side about the item, which is not agreed and then will take a decision that will bind both sides.

Union’s Air Canada component will host a news conference at ET at 1 pm at Alt Hotel at Piercen International Airport in Toronto.