Air Canada gradually restarted operations on Tuesday after reaching a deal with flight attendants who had walked off the job for three days—Saturday through Monday—resulting in thousands of grounded flights that left passengers stranded around the world.
The ongoing labor dispute significantly disrupted service, forcing Canada’s largest airline to cancel more than 3,000 flights in the past week—1,534 domestic and 1,613 international flights—according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. On Tuesday, when an agreement had been reached, 78 of the day’s 353 scheduled domestic flights were canceled, and 122 of the 353 international flights were canceled, versus 100 percent of Air Canada flights that had been canceled on Monday.
“The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers. Our priority now is to get them moving as quickly as possible,” Michael Rousseau, Air Canada’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
According to Rousseau, “full restoration [of service] may require a week or more.”
Indeed, the airline warned that while the first post-dispute flights were scheduled for the evening of August 19, a full return to service could take anywhere from 7 to 10 days.
“During this process, some flights will be canceled . . . until the schedule is stabilized,” the airline stated, noting only those customers with confirmed bookings and whose flights are shown to be operating on the airline’s website or mobile app should proceed to the airport.
According to Air Canada, hundreds of thousands of passengers were affected by the flight cancellations over the past several days.
Toronto-based journalist Jennifer Bain had her Friday, August 15, flight from Toronto to Tokyo preemptively canceled on August 14 before the strike started as Air Canada started to wind down operations and find places to park its aircraft.
“This was something that was in the company’s control and should have triggered a new flight and compensation,” said Bain. “But the airline then texted to say, ‘We’re very sorry, but after searching for flights on over 120 airlines for three days before and after your canceled flight, we’ve been unable to rebook you.’”
Bain said that within minutes, she was easily able to get a new Delta flight routed through Minneapolis.
“Like many Canadians, I fully support the flight attendants in their fight to be fairly compensated,” Bain said. “And like all those directly impacted by flight cancellations, I’m angry at Air Canada for abandoning me.”
Rebooking options
Mark Nasr, chief operations officer for Air Canada, said last week that customers whose flights have been canceled will be eligible for a full refund, and that the airline will make arrangements with other Canadian and foreign carriers to provide alternative travel options “to the extent possible.”
Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) requires Air Canada to rebook travelers on any available flight, even if it’s operated by a competitor, within 48 hours of a passenger’s original departure time. While the airline is offering passengers a refund, taking the compensation could negate customers’ rights to have the airline rebook canceled flights.
Like Bain, Kim Denness-Thomas has also been frustrated by the lack of assistance. The playwright’s tour manager’s Air Canada flight to London, England, was canceled Monday morning ahead of the opening of her play A Little Green Leaf in the United Kingdom.
“Air Canada didn’t even email my tour manager to tell her [that] her flight was canceled,” said Denness-Thomas. “The rest of the crew and I are supposed to fly out on the weekend, but I’m really concerned about the lack of support by management to follow what they are supposed to be doing by way of booking us on alternate flights.”
Denness-Thomas said her tour manager and a travel agent are exploring all other options for her and five others who are accompanying the London leg of her touring play.
“We have limited funds to solve this in the meantime. We’re basically on our own,” said Denness-Thomas. “But I fully support the flight attendants. They have the right to get paid for work done from the moment their work begins.”
Christina Tunnah, head of the Americas for World Nomads Travel Insurance, suggested that passengers whose flights have been canceled and who haven’t received assistance from the airline check their insurance policy benefits, since travel insurance usually covers trip interruption or cancellation. She recommends saving all paperwork, including receipts, boarding passes, and airline communications, in case travelers need to make a claim with their insurance provider.
Why the flight attendants were striking
A labor agreement between Air Canada and its flight attendants expired on March 31. After months of stalled negotiations and no resolution in sight, flight attendants initiated a strike early Saturday morning. Within 12 hours, the Canadian government intervened, requesting that the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) impose binding arbitration—a dispute resolution process that involves an arbitrator who makes a final legally binding decision.
On Monday, the CIRB ruled that the strike by 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants was illegal and ordered them to return to work, after they defied a previous directive to end the walkout and enter arbitration.
On Sunday, the CIRB issued a back-to-work order for Air Canada’s flight attendants. However, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the workers, refused to comply, forcing Air Canada to abandon its plans to resume operations that day. As a result, all flights scheduled for Monday were canceled as the strike entered its third day. Preemptive flight cancellations started as early as Thursday of last week.
Speaking to reporters outside Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) on Monday, Mark Hancock, the union’s national president, emphasized that CUPE remained open to negotiations but would not surrender its members’ right to strike.
When asked whether the union acknowledges the legal risks of defying CIRB’s back-to-work order—and how far the union was willing to go—Hancock didn’t hold back.
“There’s no limit. We’re going to stay strong . . . and if it means folks like me going to jail, so be it. If it means our union being fined, so be it.”
Hancock told reporters that the union remained committed to “standing up for our members’ rights—and for the rights of all Canadians under our Constitution. The right to free collective bargaining, including the right to strike, is a fundamental right protected by our charter.”
Air Canada and the union remained at odds over wages and other key issues. The union had said its main sticking points revolved around what it called flight attendants’ “poverty wages” and unpaid labor when planes aren’t in the air; flight attendants are only paid once the flight takes off. Flight attendants striking at YYZ held up signs that read “Unpaid work won’t fly” and “Poverty wages = UnCanadian.”
Air Canada on Tuesday said it had reached a “mediated agreement” with CUPE, resulting in the airline’s 10,000 flight attendants immediately returning to work.
Michelle Baran contributed reporting. This story was originally published on August 18, 2025, and has been updated to include current information.
