Air Canada and flight attendants reach tentative deal; passengers warned full service will take a week

Air Canada reached a tentative agreement early Tuesday(August 19) with the union representing its flight attendants, ending a three-day strike that had disrupted air travel nationwide and stranded nearly half a million passengers. The airline said it will begin ramping up operations immediately, though full service is expected to take more than a week to restore.

Talks continued through the night with a federal mediator, culminating in an agreement around 4:30 am. ET, according to statements from both Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). The deal covers more than 10,000 flight attendants and will be put to a ratification vote in the coming weeks.

The strike began Saturday morning, grounding Air Canada’s mainline fleet and forcing the cancellation of thousands of flights. While the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) declared the job action unlawful under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code and ordered attendants back to work on Sunday, union officials initially defied the ruling. CUPE leaders argued that the law violated workers’ Charter rights, calling the government’s intervention heavy-handed.


By Monday evening, however, both sides had returned to the bargaining table, setting the stage for a breakthrough after 72 hours of escalating tension.

Union secures key concessions

At the heart of the dispute was what attendants described as “unpaid work”: time spent boarding passengers, performing safety checks, and waiting on tarmacs before takeoff. The union confirmed the tentative agreement eliminates that practice, which it described as “transformational change” for the industry.

In a message to members, CUPE said on its website, “Your right to vote on your wages was preserved. Unpaid work is over.” The union framed the outcome as both a labor and constitutional victory, claiming it demonstrated that Section 107 can no longer be wielded by employers to bypass fair bargaining.

Airline begins recovery phase

Air Canada said it operated its first mainline departures around 4 pm. ET Tuesday and planned to complete about 53 percent of scheduled flights by day’s end, focusing on international outbound routes. Domestic and North American services are expected to ramp up “in earnest” on Wednesday.

The airline estimated more than 500,000 passengers were affected during the stoppage. To manage the backlog, it has expanded its customer support operation to 5,000 employees and broadened rebooking policies.

Travelers can request refunds, apply credits, or be rebooked on up to 120 partner or competitor airlines. Air Canada has also extended its rebooking window to seven days, more than double its standard policy.

What’s next

Air Canada faces the dual challenge of repairing strained customer trust and navigating a critical ratification vote. CUPE leaders urged members to endorse the deal, but final approval is not guaranteed until ballots are counted.

Only those with confirmed bookings on operating flights should go to the airport, as cancellations will persist during the recovery period.