On the eve of a possible strike that could see roughly 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants walk off the job at 1 a.m. on Saturday, the country’s largest airline could come to a standstill.
Flight staff say they will be prepared to trade the cabin aisle for the picket line if no deal is reached, part of a push to address what they refer to as “poverty wages” and unpaid labour.
The strike threat means thousands of travellers could experience more cancellations, with Air Canada saying that it will ground all flights if the strike goes through.
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“So far, it hasn’t been great in our experience,” said Ellery Dunn, traveller and Calgary resident. “We were in the boarding line and partially boarded before we got a text saying we were canceled. We tried to ask about hotels or meal vouchers, and they said there’s absolutely nothing they can do because it’s out of their control.”
Ellery and Gabriel Dunn were minutes from flying home to Calgary on Thursday night, when they say boarding was halted and passengers were told to get off the plane. Their flight – one among many – cancelled ahead of the looming strike deadline.
They were back at Montreal–Trudeau Airport on Friday morning without a confirmed ticket, hoping for a chance to rebook. They’ve joined the hundreds of travellers lined up at the Air Canada check-in counters – waiting for answers.
“Their answer of reducing confusion and certainty with canceling flights pre-strike has had the opposite effect on us,” said Gabriel Dunn, traveller and Calgary resident.
The airline pushed their flight to Sunday, saying it was meant to reduce uncertainty.
As flight attendants aim to form picket lines on Saturday – the two travellers say they’re unsure if their flight will be able to take off.
“I think it’s a very reasonable and within their rights to go on strike, it’s exercising their rights to do so, I just feel that it’s very disingenuous of the airline to say it’s without or out of their control,” said Gabriel.
Representatives of the union representing Air Canada flight attendants told CityNews on Friday that the starting salary for a flight attendant at Air Canada Rouge is $1,900 a month.
Representatives also said that flight attendants don’t get paid until cabin doors close, which means that everything from boarding passengers to completing safety demonstrations is unpaid.
“Since 2000, so in the past 25 years, the starting salary for a flight attendant has gone up $3,” said Natasha Stea, President of CUPE 4091, representing Air Canada flight attendants in Montreal.
The strike mandate comes after months of contract discussions that began at the start of the year. The union says the move to hit picket lines follows a conciliation process that failed to produce a deal.
Air Canada has since issued a lockout notice set to take effect on Saturday.
CityNews contacted the airline, who did not respond yet.
“It’s just unacceptable in my opinion, I think they should strike,” said Suhaib Ouarou, traveller and Calgary resident.
“What I do know is I did lose a bit of trust with Air Canada, and I don’t know if I’ll be booking with them again,” said Sara Chahrour, Montreal resident.
For travellers like Ellery and Gabriel, whether they’ll get home on time is still uncertain.
“So far, we haven’t been able to talk to anybody about what they’re able to give us,” said Ellery.
