Air Canada flight cancellations: Here’s what we know about the cabin crew strike on Saturday

Air travel in Canada could face serious disruption this weekend, as more than 10,000 flight attendants plan to strike following a breakdown in contract negotiations between their union and Air Canada, including its subsidiary Air Canada Rouge. The current contract expired on March 31, 2025, and although negotiations began months earlier, no agreement has been reached.

When would the strike begin?

The strike is set to begin on Saturday at 1 a.m. ET.

However, the airlines may begin halting services as early as Thursday to prepare for the industrial action. The strike follows stalled negotiations over wage increases for workers at the Montreal-based airline.

According to Reuters, Air Canada has asked the Canadian government to intervene and mandate arbitration between both sides, which would prohibit the strike. Prime Minister Mark Carney, who leads the Liberal Party, Canada’s center-left party, has not yet announced any such intervention.

Why are the workers striking?

A move toward binding arbitration would be a setback for members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents thousands of flight attendants—99.7 percent of whom voted to authorize the strike. The union criticized the company for seeking arbitration after what it describes as months of stalling tactics that have left summer travel plans in limbo for customers who could see their flights cancelled this week.

“Air Canada has decided they no longer want to negotiate. They want to go to arbitration, rather than stay at the bargaining table and bargain a new contract,” the union said in a press release earlier this week.

Labor leaders argue that Air Canada’s flight crews deserve wages that “match industry standards,” keep pace with inflation, and ensure workers earn at least the federal minimum wage. Currently, Air Canada pays flight attendants only for time spent in the air. The union is demanding compensation for the full scope of their work—including boarding, safety checks, and handling emergencies both in the air and on the ground.

Wages have not kept up with inflation

Additionally, entry-level flight attendant wages have increased by just $3 per hour since 2000, while average prices have risen nearly 70 percent over the past 25 years. The union is pushing to ensure that as Air Canada posts record profits, the workers who make safe and comfortable travel possible receive a fair share of the benefits—wages that reflect inflation and compensation for their entire workday, not just from takeoff to landing.

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