Air Canada Flights Grounded Amid Strike

Just a short while ago, I talked about how Air Canada’s flight attendants were throwing the warning flag about going on strike. Fast forward to today, and here we are—the strike is on! Air Canada, in what can only be described as an all-in move, decided to lock the doors and shut down its flight operations in response. Consider my eyebrows raised.

Air Canada’s Flight Attendants: Walking the Picket Line

You see, Air Canada’s had this long-standing game of negotiations with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). This group speaks for about 10,000 flight attendants working for Air Canada and its sibling, Air Canada Rouge. But after all this chit-chat, they hit a wall. And then, boom, almost all of them (99.7%, to be exact) voted to go on strike. In Canada, going on strike as an airline isn’t a mythical beast—it’s here, and it’s real.

CUPE didn’t just drop the strike bomb. They gave a 72-hour heads up to management, scheduling the walkout for Saturday, August 16, 2025. Air Canada, not to be outdone, countered with a lockout. Presto, just like that, by the time the first roosters crowed today, Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights were grounded. Total shutdown mode.

Now, don’t panic if you’ve got an Air Canada Express ticket. Flights operated by Jazz and PAL Airlines still have the green light, but they only ferry about 20% of Air Canada’s usual horde of flyers. So, all eyes are on those 130,000 daily travelers left high and dry by this strike.

If your Air Canada flight’s been canned, here’s the scoop:

• Air Canada is doing its best to slot you on other airlines. But with summer travel chaos, patience and finger-crossing might become your best allies.
• If you qualify under anything like EC261 or UK261 compensation, you’re in line not only for duty of care but also for cash—the strike doesn’t qualify as an “extraordinary circumstance.”

Why Can’t Air Canada and CUPE Just Hug It Out?

Air Canada claims it has been in negotiations for a good eight months, trying every trick in the book, from calling in federal conciliators to tossing out offers for binding arbitration. Despite all that hustle, no dice on a handshake deal with the union.

Air Canada waved a supposedly juicy carrot on August 11, 2025, attempting to stir flight attendants with a 38% pay raise over four years. This offer promised fixes like better ground pay, a cushier retirement couch, and more rest time between shifts.

Here’s Air Canada’s CEO, Michael Rousseau:

“We get it; this disrupts our customers and communities. CUPE’s moves pushed us to offer a lockout—and to try and avoid throwing our flyers into chaos, which we’ve all seen with other strikes. Our latest carrot included a 38% pay boost, promising the juiciest salary by Canadian skies, plus better ground pay and career boosts. Yet, we asked not a speck of sacrifice from CUPE. We’re game for chats, but government-led arbitration is looking like the only ship left sailing to end this mess.”

On the other side, CUPE’s president, Wesley Lesosky, stands firm:

“The airline dilly-dallying at the bargaining table over real wages and unpaid work stretched nine months long. That’s precisely why we pulled in a whopping 99.7% from members backing the strike. We’re all about stopping unpaid work and making wages match the cost of living. Air Canada threw arbitration in the ring, backing away from the negotiating table. Everyone knows that the best deals come through negotiation, not decided by an external pen-voter.”

CUPE has laid out their beef with Air Canada’s proposal:

“Talking wages, Air Canada’s numbers don’t pay the rent. First-year 8% gain doesn’t cover the inflation pinch, actually worth a pay dip. Air Canada’s calculated pitch turns out to be a 17.2% hike over four years. Fast forward to 2028, even when rolling in better numbers, pay still lags today’s competition. Junior attendants currently break under federal minimums. Air Canada got the bucks; they need to front up fair pay without cranking up fares.”

You wouldn’t be wrong to think conclusions can be drawn on both sides from this back-and-forth.

Wrapping It Up: What’s Next?

As of Saturday, August 16, 2025, Air Canada flight attendants hit the picket line. To keep it simple, Air Canada also rode the lockout train, shutting operations in the face of the strike. Management offers promises of a 38% pay boom over four years, while CUPE wave the flag, arguing the offer lags behind any inflation scale.

No crystal ball can predict how long the standoff will last, but all folks rooted in the hope for a resolution cling on tight. If the Air Canada saga has taught us anything, it’s that taking a tranquil trip to Val Seny ski resort might just be the escape everyone needs.

Your thoughts on how Air Canada’s drama unfolds from here?