Air Canada is set to resume flights on Tuesday after reaching a settlement with its flight attendant union, according to the airline. It shares that it has reached a mediated agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Discussions began on the basis that the union would have the flight attendants immediately return to work. The airline hasn’t shared comments on the agreement yet.
Flights are expected to resume this evening of today, Tuesday, August 19. However, not all scheduled flights will fly, and passengers can continue to expect cancellations. The airline shares that it will take 7 to 10 days for operations to return to its normal level.
The airline likely has aircraft and crew all over the place and will have to strategically reposition everyone and all aircraft before the airline can run a punctual schedule again.
“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,” said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.
In the meantime, several things will continue:
- Passengers on cancelled flights continue to have the option for a full refund.
- Air Canada will continue to offer alternatives on other airlines.
- Air Canada continues to strongly advise that only passengers with confirmed bookings should show up at the airport.
As the strike is coming to an end, this whole situation was kind of a reminder that I’d love to see WestJet expand more outside of Calgary and become more involved with the rest of Canada and internationally.
I can’t imagine consumer confidence in Air Canada to be high right now, and a major second option of an airline can be a benefit for consumers, especially during situations like this Air Canada strike. The SkyTeam partnerships and Delta and Korean Air’s minority stake in WestJet are a good start.
Featured image by the author.
