Air Canada flights to experience increased frequency as the post-strike restoration progresses
Air Canada resumed flights on Tuesday afternoon, ending a three-day strike by its flight attendants that caused a complete halt to the airline's and Air Canada Rouge's routes starting early Saturday morning.
The operational restart is prioritizing outbound international flights, as the airline works to stabilize its schedule during the restart process. Some flights will still be cancelled until the schedule is fully stabilized.
The new tentative agreement between Air Canada and the union representing over 10,000 flight attendants was struck on Tuesday morning, following a negotiation process that was previously stalled. The federal mediator, former Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell, played a key role in the negotiation process.
Despite the agreement, it's unclear how it will impact the ongoing operational restart of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge routes. The airline is not offering customers with cancelled flights a full refund but is providing them with a credit for future travel if they cannot be rebooked on a competitor's flight.
Air Canada flights within North America are expected to resume this morning. However, the operational restart of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge routes is not expected to be complete until the schedule is fully stabilized, which may take 7 to 10 days. This means that some flights will continue to be cancelled until then.
The new agreement does not affect the timeline for Air Canada's return to full, regular service. The airline expects to return to full, regular service within this 7 to 10 day period.
The details of the new agreement between Air Canada and the flight attendants' union have not been disclosed to the public. The airline will undoubtedly provide updates as more information becomes available.
