Air Canada strike: 130,000 travelers could be stranded daily
Air Canada's flight attendants are expected to have operations completely grounded by 1:00am ET on Saturday.
Their union, CUPE, wants better pay and working conditions, and has issued a 72-hour notice.
The airline started winding down flights ahead of time to make restarting operations smoother if an agreement is reached—meaning about 500 flights will be canceled by Friday, leaving around 130,000 travelers in limbo each day.
Crew rejected airline's latest offer
CUPE represents about 10,000 Air Canada and Rouge crew members.
They turned down the airline's latest offer of a 38% raise over four years with extra benefits.
Instead, nearly all union members (99.7%) voted for a strike because they say it still doesn't address unpaid ground work or meet their expectations.
Thousands might get stuck abroad
Flights are being paused gradually—starting with long-haul international routes—to make restarting smoother if there's a deal.
But even if both sides agree soon, Chief Operating Officer Mark Nasr says getting back to normal could take up to a week.
Early cancelations mean thousands might get stuck abroad.
Airline offering full refunds
Canada's Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu is pushing for direct talks instead of government intervention.
Air Canada wants arbitration but CUPE insists on union-approved negotiations first.
Meanwhile, the airline is offering full refunds and teaming up with other carriers to help stranded passengers through the disruption.