The Air Canada strike is affecting approximately 100,000 travelers, as it is Canada’s largest airline.
So the decision on Aug. 16 by flight attendants to walk off the job is of great concern to Canada’s government. Now the Canadian government is seeking binding arbitration to force the flight attendants back to work, and Air Canada has given a major update about when the airline might begin serving passengers again.
Air Canada Says It Could Take a Week to Restart Operations After the Strike Ends
According to Reuters, Canada’s Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu told reporters on Aug. 16 that “it may take 24 to 48 hours” for the Canada Industrial Relations Board to “impose binding arbitration on both sides and order an immediate end to the strike.” That’s action the government is seeking due to the economic impact of the strike.
Air Canada has provided a timeline for when operations could restart. According to Reuters, the Canadian airline says “restarting operations after a strike would take a week to complete.”
That’s not good news for passengers who have had to scramble to adjust their travel plans.
Mark Nasr, chief operations officer at Air Canada, told Reuters that the airline has 250 aircraft flying to more than 65 countries.
“It’s simply not the kind of system that we can start or stop at the push of a button,” Nasr said, according to the wire service.
The flight attendants’ union is seeking better wages and is concerned about unpaid work, according to BBC.
Air Canada Cancelled Hundreds of Flights So Far
Air Canada cancelled 597 flights on Aug. 16, according to FlightAware.
“Strike action by CUPE, the union representing 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, began Saturday, August 16 at 01:00 ET,” Air Canada wrote in a statement on its website.
The airline has a page with details about how to seek a refund.
Related: Air Canada Strike Could Affect 27,000 U.S. Passengers Per Day
