NEWS: Air Canada Suspends Operations Following Flight Attendant Strike

Thousands of Air Canada flights have been impacted by an ongoing strike.

We keep you updated on all the latest travel news so you can plan your upcoming trips accordingly. For those who had plans to fly with Air Canada soon, note that a dispute between the union and the airline caused all operations to stop on August 16th.

UPDATE: On Sunday, August 17th, 2025, ABC News reported that Air Canada would be resuming flights on Sunday evening, though it would take “several days before its operations return to normal.”

According to CNN, thousands of travelers have been left stranded during the peak summer travel season as all of Air Canada’s operations have stopped. More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants went on strike around 1 AM Saturday morning (August 16th). Canadian Union of Public Employees spokesman, Hugh Pouliot, has confirmed that the strike started after no deal was reached with Air Canada. Most recently, the airline requested to enter into government-directed arbitration, “which would eliminate its right to strike and allow a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract.” The union declined, leading to the strike.

Around the same time flight attendants began walking off the job for the strike, Air Canada announced that it would begin locking the striking employees out of airports. Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu met with both parties on Friday and urged them to reach a deal, stating, “It is unacceptable that such little progress has been made. Canadians are counting on both parties to put forward their best efforts.”

Pouliot, the spokesman for the union, recently said that Air Canada had not countered their two most recent deals since Tuesday. A complete shutdown of the airline will affect around 13,000 people per day, and many flyers may be stranded abroad, as the airline operates around 700 flights a day.

Right now, it’s unclear when a deal may be reached, but “Air Canada Chief Operating Officer Mark Nasr has said it could take up to a week to fully restart operations once a tentative deal is reached.”

We’ll be sure to keep you updated with all the latest information, so stay tuned to AllEars.

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