Air Canada Resumes Almost Full Flight Operations Following Cabin Crew Strike
Toronto, August 22–23, 2025 – Air Canada has nearly restored its entire flight network after resolving a labor dispute with its flight attendants’ union. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing over 10,000 cabin crew members, concluded a strike that halted operations earlier this week, grounding hundreds of flights and stranding approximately half a million travelers.
At the heart of the dispute was compensation for ground-based duties—tasks like passenger boarding—previously unpaid. The breakthrough agreement includes a phased-in “ground pay” structure: starting at half the hourly wage for boarding tasks and rising to 70% over the term of the contract. The union hailed this as a groundbreaking achievement for aviation labor standards.
With the strike over, flights restarted Tuesday night (August 19), but full normalization is expected to take 7 to 10 days. As of August 22, the airline reported that 95% of its network was back in the air—including all 260 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge aircraft—and nearly 1,100 flights operated.
Air Canada confirmed:
- Almost 100% of domestic (98%), U.S. (99%), and international (99%) flights scheduled over the next 24 hours are expected to run, with hubs in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal now fully operational.
- Their executive team apologized for the disruption, commended the staff for their swift efforts, and underscored a commitment to support passengers previously affected.
- Customers impacted between August 15 and 23 are eligible for reimbursements covering reasonable costs such as hotels and meals. Rebooking through Air Canada or partner airlines remains in place via online tools and mobile app.
While the deal is tentative and awaits ratification by union members, key elements—especially ground pay and many benefits—are already agreed to and binding. Voting among flight attendants will take place from August 27 to September 6.
