A few days ago, I wrote about how Air Canada flight attendants had threatened to go on strike. Well, the strike has officially kicked off, and Air Canada has basically shut down its operations, given that management responded to the strike warning with a lockout notice. Wow.
Continue reading: Air Canada Cancels All Flights: Flight Attendants Go On Strike, Locked Out
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
If a deal or arbitration decision is reached, how long do you think it will take to restart operations? I’m planning to travel on Air Canada during Labor Day and trying to determine the best course of action.
Since there are no flights to operate, do the pilots also go without pay during this time?
@ Michelle -- I imagine they can restart operations in less than a day, since they gradually suspended operations, so I assume most planes are at hubs, etc. I would hope that this is resolved before Labor Day, but who knows. It's possible that this isn't one continuous strike, and that we see multiple strikes.
Given how terrible Canada is, it is hard to understand why its citizenship isn't jumping at a chance of becoming Americans.
One expects that the lower placed (in the World Rankings) U.S. Airline Companies, will be hoping to pick up some business due to this AC industrial action period. This will come as a period of joy for the DL, UA, AA, etc, fanboys.
Eskimo posted: “Awfully quiet for the alter ego BA apologist”. One took no action by posting a response on the appropriate thread, preferring not to respond to the gross ignorance. It will be fun to see the result …. 🙂
It's the other way around. Canadians are civilized, kind, and don't run around the world exporting gun violence, money worship, racism, and other unique facets of "American" culture.
Canada as a nation, may be the target for your contempt mark, however, should you be actually be referring to AC, then you might like to know that they are miles ahead of their southern neighbours in the world rankings.
Oh is Canada bad? Ok. Maybe you should put the trash in the US and focus on biker gangs or oil and, no wait, hold on, no - ok.
If the flight is cancelled, you can get a full refund. The goodwill policy is using future flight credit if you wish to cancel your trip before your flight is cancelled by the airline.
Why is it Air Canada’s problem that the government mismanaged COVID and caused excessive inflation?
The employees at AC benefitted from that money printing to keep their paychecks coming while not flying.
If the flight is cancelled they legally have offer a full refund if there’s no alternate, not a voucher. As it’s a peak travel period the chances of thousands being rebooked is minuscule.
This was a long time coming. Re-litigating COVID is not relevant to the strike, @Andrew H. The length of the strike is largely determined by the wealth of CUPE's strike fund. CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) is loaded.
The likely outcome is 7-11 days with no flights, then Federal back-to-work legislation (slow to organize since the House does not sit in summer), then resumption of service under a Federally-imposed temporary contract, then mediation. The Union and the Company have likely known and planned for this all along.
@AeroB13a I guess any carrier that serves a Canadian airport will "pick up some business" but AC's busiest routes are domestic so the pickings will be modest. And AC fliers aren't likely to be seduced by US carriers longterm because AC provides Canadian travellers nonstop service to far more US destinations than the US3. Usually a ticket on AA, UA, DL delivers the passenger to the hub-and-spoke of US domestic travel.
The inflation rates in Canada during the pandemic were consistently below those of the US. Not sure what your definition of excessive inflation is based upon. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, in both countries, received money directly or indirectly through government efforts to stabilize the economy and prevent a depression. Having clarified that point, to state that COVID was mismanaged is irrelevant to the discussion of the current work action. Ticket prices in Canada are hindered by low competition. I am not a fan of Air Canada and their propensity to charge large sums of money for some routes they alone service, nor am I a fan of their levels of service, but COVID has very little to do with either. The key impact of COVID on pricing was when routes were cancelled during COVID and slowly reinstated albeit with higher fares.
The CTA imposes heavy penalties if they don’t. If the flight departs the U.K. /EU/USA and most other countries they have to. Moreover it’s also in their own conditions of carriage.
this is a huge help for US airlines and the smaller Canadian airlines. AC's business plan has long involved siphoning off price conscious international passengers.
This is precisely what WestJet and Porter etc need to establish themselves w/ more credibility.
Heading into the fall, there are plenty of seats that need to be filled before schedules are pulled down.
Even if the AC succeeds in replacing the FA workforce and a large number of FAs return as non-union, many have probably kissed their jobs goodbye. and it will take months to return to full staffing levels
"38% pay increase over four years"
Not sure how the union does much better than that.
Yes, it is a low wage for FA's. But I don't think there is a way to boost pay more rapidly than that. Take the 4 years at 10% a year - which I am sure the airline would agree to - and fight again if 4 years.
@Iacanadienne - what a completely uniformed ignorant response. Seems you have quite the Napoleon complex.
I'm sure there are many "new canadians" that will be more than willing to cross the picket line and scab. After all that's why the red carpet welcome is given to them in the first place.
Doesn't Canada have compensation rules similar to EU261?
Depends on if a strike is classified as a disruption that the carrier can control (I assume it would), then I believe passengers would be eligible for compensation based on how much of a delay they face getting to their final destination.
Also, good luck to anyone trying to fly another airline out of Canada. It seems all of AA's flights out of YUL, YYZ, and YYC have been full for this entire weekend for the past couple days (I had delays so I was trying to rebook to no avail). I assume it's a similar story at UA, DL, Westjet, etc. Also, last minute fares have skyrocketed because of this.
If I was offered a pay rise of 38% over 4 years I would jump at it.Just selfish inviduals who have no idea of economics.
Depends what your wages were before the offer, and what work you're doing, no?
@lacanadienne maybe that’s true in your Elbows Up view of the country but I can tell you the last 10 years everything polite or nice of Canadian culture has been destroyed: justice system is two tiered, reverse racism is now prevalent at workplaces and there is just so little inclusion at public events it seems like the country has been taken over by savages. But government doesn’t care it’s part of their plan.
But Canadians do export carbon, so don’t get too righteous. Canada is the world’s largest per capita producers of it, between fossil fuel and mining industries. So Canadians do much more than their part contributing to global warming.
Each of our 4 paragraphs is a snarky assertion of opinion. There are no facts to debate.
As usual.
We had three global years of it recently. 38% going forward is optimistic. But notice the tariff impact on import prices in other markets. TYVM. I am buying these crazy values overseas.
Just remember his analysis is “all DL actions good, all OAL ones mediocre to bad”.
It's Air Canada's problem because they used it as their excuse to get a nearly 10% reduction in wages out of the flight attendants...and now that inflation has increased and the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, they aren't even offering to pay FAs where they were pre-COVID in the first year of the proposed contract.
DenB, to be taken seriously you will need to put some ‘meat on the table’, the alternative is that you cannot possibly be taken seriously, yes?
For the record, those "smaller Canadian airlines", massively increased their fares the minute a 72-hour strike notice was announced.
How do you think we view their "credibility" now?
Todd,
of course they did. It is supply and demand and Canadians pays the price for Canada's long standing protection of AC.
for all of those that want to argue with me about the benefit to US airlines, USAToday says the expectation is that about 27,000 US passengers are affected each day because of AC's strategy of connecting US passengers from the US to Europe and Asia.
Although UA is a Star Alliance partner with AC and will likely be the first choice for AC rebooking, UA does not have that much capacity available. LH Group wlll benefit as well.
They also say
"... northern U.S. airline hubs are likely to see increased traffic as Air Canada passengers to and from overseas destinations get rebooked through American markets."
Guess which US airline has the most northerly set of hubs? None other than DL.
Anyone that can think critically realizes that hubs at SEA, DTW and MSP all are in states next to the Canadian border while BOS is the most northerly east coast hub.
I didn't say that DL would benefit the most but they actually very well may.
I'm booked for a week from now. I've looked up the alternatives and have the preferred one ready to go, but am waiting for my flight to be formally canceled. Once that happens, AC will have to rebook me. If I pull the trigger now, I will get a credit and have to pay for the alternative out of pocket. I suggest that the best course of action is to wait and see at this stage.
Canada (as part of the British empire) abolished slavery in 1834. I hope they now start requiring airlines to pay FAs for groundwork, so that in 30 years FAs in the US will have the same rights.
@Ben - Is Air Canada profitable? If the airline is just being a weasel like Kirby at United when they’re making plenty of cash then Air Canada’s behavior is equally reprehensible. If the airline is losing money though then the pretty pathetic offer is a lot more understandable.
The Union head is basing his negotiating on inflation.
The government created that inflation by printing money.
The company did not print that money.
And everything else that AC does has been impacted by inflation.
Well, that didn't take long.
The government has ordered the FAs back to work and imposed binding arbitration. Exactly what AC wanted.
What was the reason for inflation?
The printing of money during COVID so of course it's relevant.
It may be inconvenient but it's certainly relevant.
The union probably expected this, while also expecting arbitration to be removed as an option. The NYT reports, "The Teamsters have already challenged the government’s use of arbitration, said . . . a professor of workplace law at York University in Toronto. He predicted that the courts were likely to rule against the government."
I guess a 38% pay raise does ntot go far in Canada as it is very $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$to live there with their Tax rates....
Like Nordic countries Canadian taxes pay for services like garbage collection and healthcare. The tax rate is based on taxable income which for FAs would be rather low so their incremental increase in taxes would not be that high from a raise. Most of the raise would go to the FAs. Pilots make much more so they would be proportionally taxed at higher rates if they got a raise. Taxes may be high relative to other jurisdictions but getting sick in Canada does not usually result in personal bankruptcy from healthcare costs.
An idle thought I had just now: Suppose the strike lasts for over 5 weeks. (Unlikely, I know, but bear with me.) That would put AC below 80% slot utilization for the summer season, if I'm calculating correctly. Would that create a risk of losing slots at LHR, AMS, CDG, etc.?
At the onset of its statehood, Canada chose to remain in the British Commonwealth. Personally, I do not understand why Canada and Australia still remain in British Commonwealth like many other former British colonies, mainly many poor African and Caribbean countries. They should use the money for membership fee to invest in their own countries. As for your derogatory snide and ignorant remark how terrible Canada is, Canada consistently ranks far above the US on all world classifications, such as the top ten best countries to live in or the top ten cities in the world, etc... for decades now. To those who consistently rave the US is the wealthiest and strongest country in the world, it displays a deeply entrenched indoctrination that is perpetrated by US media.
@globetrotter~ 'fees' to remain in the British Commonwealth?
What on earth are you talking about? The Commonwealth is not a franchise like McDonalds et al.
I would however agree that few Canadians would jump at the chance of American citizenship. Who in their right mind would voluntarily jump aboard a sinking ship?
Kinda cute how the arbitrator picked by the Carney liberals is a former senior executive at Air Canada, who refuses to
recuse herself. Now you know why AC refused to seriously negotiate. The govt had it in the bag for them all along, and screw the employees.
Some here may remember that Qantas pulled the same stunt a few years back.
It didn't end well for anyone, Qantas especially. They earned a lot of bad-will from the flying public, their employees and contractors. The effects still linger on as legal cases wind their way through the courts and tribunals.
Is it ever a good move to shoot yourself in the foot?
It is a matter of fact that while the weak, woke, liberal Carney, was head of the Bank of England, he did nothing to improve the financial situation in the country. He, along with his liberal pals pretending to be Conservatives, have proven to have been a disaster for Great Britain. Will his time in Canadian political office prove to be equally disastrous for AC? …. One is minded to believe so.
The service on AC was already bad in the first place. If they are now forced back to you work, I (for one) do not want to be riding on AC metals anytime soon. The cabin crew are one of the coldest and robotic ones. Right after the 4 mainline US carriers
Great Britain’s disaster was self inflicted. Old xenophobic middle class white people voted for Brexit.
Your ignorance is only exceeded by your racist comment Dan …. Desperate Dan, desperate to post something as worthless as your petty EU propaganda machine offering is poor false news old stick!
However, one appreciates this opportunity to slap down any loony remoaner. Thanks for the laugh Desperate Dan …. 🙂
Some of us insisted that the Covid lockdowns would have significant, long term impacts and were a catastrophic mistake.
You’re welcome.
Why can't Air Canda pay their employees more? They can't, or they don't want to?
What the flight attendants should fight for is pay starting at scheduled departure time. I would say the average late departure is about 1 hour every flight I tool last year YVR - YYZ. So on these about 4hour trips that would be about 25% right there.
Personally I am on the side of the FA's as they should have the right to bargain and strike. Even though as a consumer it will mean higher fares.