Air Canada flight attendants strike for 1st time in decades

Business Aug 17, 2025

Thousands of Air Canada and Rouge flight attendants have gone on strike—their first since 1985—grounding nearly 700 daily flights and affecting over 100,000 travelers.
The main issue? Pay for time spent on the ground between flights.
In anticipation of the strike, Air Canada began canceling flights.

Canadian government orders attendants back to work

The Canadian government stepped in over the weekend, ordering attendants back to work with binding arbitration.
But the union called this move unconstitutional and is still striking, pushing for better pay while inviting more talks.
With thousands stranded during a busy travel period, this standoff spotlights bigger questions about fair pay in aviation—and how far governments should go when labor disputes hit essential services.