Air Canada to Fight $426,000 Fine for Rebooking Issues During Strike
by Bruce Parkinson
Air Canada flight attendants walked the picket line last August.
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) announced this week the imposition of a $426,000 fine against Air Canada, after investigating how the airline handled rebooking passengers amid the August 2025 labour disruption by flight attendants. The airline says it will fight that decision.
Some 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job in August 2025. Thousands of flights were cancelled during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
The regulator says it reviewed “a targeted sample” of affected customers between August 20 and 25, and found that Air Canada “committed multiple violations” of the Air Passenger Protection Regulations by failing to fulfil the requirements for when flights are cancelled for reasons beyond the airline’s control.
“The notice is unfounded in law and we will contest it,” Air Canada told CBC News in an emailed statement, confirming it had received a notice of violation from the regulator.
The CTA said Air Canada has until April 18 to request a review before the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada (TATC).
In its statement, Air Canada said it rebooked 200,000 passengers at that time, during the industry’s busiest season for travel.
“The notice necessarily implies that airlines should be held to a standard which is impossible to achieve,” the airline said.
“We have filed a notice for review of this notice of violation with the [TATC] on the basis that the CTA is required to take the diligence of airlines and real-world circumstances into account,” the company said.
