Despite Deal, Air Canada Cancellations Could Continue for a Week

On Tuesday morning, Air Canada announced it had reached a mediated agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the union representing its approximately 10,000 flight attendants that had been on strike officially since early Saturday morning. The two sides will now begin mediation discussions, on the stipulation that the flight attendants return to work and allow Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge to resume flying.

The deal effectively marks the end of a three-day work stoppage for both Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge. Together, the carriers fly more than 700 flights a day.

Air Canada said on Tuesday morning that it plans to resume the first post-strike flight on Monday evening, but that it’s not as simple as flipping a switch. The airline is warning that full, regular service could take seven to ten days to resume because aircraft and crew are out of position.

“Some flights will be cancelled over the next seven to ten days until the schedule is stabilized,” Air Canada said on Tuesday.

According to FlightAware, 25% of Air Canada flights on Wednesday have already been canceled, a number that is expected to increase. This follows the 700 cancellations a day from Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and another high cancellation number on Tuesday.

“Our priority now is to get them moving as quickly as possible. Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking. Full restoration may require a week or more, so we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding over the coming days,” said Michael Rousseau, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.

Air Canada is telling all flyers that only those with confirmed bookings whose flights are shown as operating on the Air Canada website should go to the airport. It is also continuing to offer those on a canceled flight the choice of a full refund or a credit for future travel.