Air Line Pilots Association Preps HQ as Air Canada Strike Looms

As travelers prepare for the possibility of massive flight disruptions, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) has announced Air Canada pilots will open a strike centre headquarters in Toronto on Thursday, Sept. 12.

Last month, Air Canada’s pilots voted overwhelmingly in favor of strike action. Though the 21-day cooling-off period ends Sept. 17, flight disruptions could start as soon as soon Sept. 13. The strike’s larger impact would then start on Sept. 15.

So far, negotiations between ALPA and the airline remain at a standstill.

“Air Canada has the power to avert a strike and the significant air travel disruptions that flow from it, but first they have to get serious at the bargaining table and recognize the value our pilots brings to the airline,” said First Officer Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada ALPA master executive council (MEC). “Should Air Canada force a strike or lockout and operational shutdown, we need to ensure our pilots are fully supported, as they will be displaced around the globe.”

The airline is Canada’s largest, carrying approximately 110,000 passengers a day. Air Canada is preparing for a shutdown as easy as Sept. 15, allowing a gradual suspension of services ahead of total pilot walkout on Sept. 18.

“Air Canada believes there is still time to reach an agreement with our pilot group, provided ALPA moderates its wage demands, which far exceed average Canadian wage increases,” said Michael Rousseau, president and CEO of Air Canada. “However, Canadians have recently seen the chaos abrupt airline shutdowns cause for travelers, which obliges us to do everything we can to protect our customers from an increasingly likely work stoppage.”

In anticipation of a strike, Air Canada released a flexible rebooking policy allowing guests with travel booked from Sept. 15 to 23 to change or cancel their flights for no additional charge.