Jazz Flight Attendants Vote 99% in Favour Of Strike Mandate; Talks Reach Impasse
by Bruce Parkinson
An Air Canada Express plane operated by Jazz Aviation.
The Canadian Flight Attendant Union (CFAU), representing more than 1,000 Jazz flight attendants, has announced that 99% of members who voted supported strike authorization.
Headquartered in Halifax and owned by Chorus Aviation, Jazz operates regional flights under the Air Canada Express brand. It carried 7.9 million passengers in 2025, an average of 21,500 per day filling an average 380 daily flights to 65 destinations in Canada and the U.S.
Jazz is the largest regional airline in Canada and Air Canada’s primary regional operator. Its Capacity Purchase Agreement with AC runs through 2035; Air Canada essentially buys Jazz’s capacity and determines the network and schedule.
After the vote results were announced, Jazz said negotiations had reached an impasse and that it would seek the appointment of a federal conciliation officer.
Conciliation and the subsequent cooling-off period still have to run their course, so a walkout is still weeks away at the earliest.
Similar to other recent flight attendant labour disputes, the union says compensation for required work is a central issue. CFAU president Marsha Walters has argued that if work is required by the employer, it should be credited and compensated. The flight attendants have been without a contract since January 1.
