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Air Canada flights are set to slowly resume as its flight attendants end their strike.
The entire Air Canada fleet has been grounded since 16 August as its cabin crew walked off the job over low wages and a move for forced arbitration. The Canadian flag carrier, which has been a Virgin partner since 2023, flies daily to Sydney and six times per week to Brisbane from Vancouver.
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The airline has now reached a tentative agreement which will bring its 10,000 flight attendants back to work while negotiations take place “overseen by a mutually agreed-to mediator”, though it has warned that a restoration of full services may take seven to 10 days. It is unknown at this stage when Australian flights will resume.
“The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers. We deeply regret and apologize for the impact on them of this labour disruption,” Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau said.
“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.
“I assure them that everyone at Air Canada is doing everything possible to enable them to travel soon.”
Around 500,000 passengers were estimated to have been impacted by the strike, and Air Canada chief operating officer Mark Nasr said the carrier is “laser-focused on getting our customers moving again” as flights ramp back up over coming days.
“Restoring global operations will take up to ten days, as aircraft and crew are out of position. Additionally, mandatory maintenance checks are required, as aircraft have been on the ground for more than three days,” he said.
“Regrettably, during this period some flights will be canceled until the schedule is stabilized, and we’ll notify customers well in advance and provide options.”
In a statement, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) claimed victory in the strike, which had continued despite the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ruling it unlawful and ordering the staff members to return to work.
“Flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge have reached a tentative agreement, achieving transformational change for our industry after a historic fight to affirm our Charter rights,” the union said.
“Unpaid work is over. We have reclaimed our voice and our power. When our rights were taken away, we stood strong, we fought back — and we secured a tentative agreement that our members can vote on.”
Disrupted passengers who booked Air Canada services through Virgin have been offered free-of-charge rebooking on the next available flight or full refunds in accordance with Air Canada’s policies, Virgin Australia confirmed yesterday.
Virgin rival Qantas has no Canadian partner airlines, but offers its own direct flights between Sydney and Vancouver, as well as connecting flights via the US through its codeshare partner American Airlines.
