It’s official. Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants went on strike on Aug. 16, 2025.
By 9 a.m. central time, the carrier had cancelled 534 flights, or 86% of its roster.
But what does this mean for passengers in the U.S.? A lot, as it turns out.
The Air Canada Strike Could Affect Up to 27,000 U.S. Passengers Per Day
Up to 27,000 U.S. passengers could be affected by the strike, according to AirAdvisor, USA Today noted.
According to USA Today, Air Canada is “not a major carrier within the U.S.,” but it is a “key link across the border and a popular choice for connecting flights to Europe and Asia for American travelers.”
Each day, Air Canada flew up to 135 flights to the U.S. from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, mostly to “New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Miami,” USA Today noted. There were other flights from the U.S. to different cities in Canada.
According to the Associated Press, Air Canada is that country’s largest airline and a “complete shutdown … threatens to impact about 130,000 people a day. “
How Do You Get a Refund for an Air Canada Flight?
“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,” the airline confirmed on its website. “To complete the safe wind-down of our complex operations, we began a phased reduction of most of our flight schedule over the past two days.”
“If you are booked to travel between August 15 and August 19 and would like to make alternate travel arrangements, you can change your flight for free if you purchased an Air Canada ticket or redeemed points for an Aeroplan flight reward no later than August 14, 2025,” Air Canada wrote.
“If you’re scheduled to travel during this period, you can retrieve your booking to change to another Air Canada flight, for free on another date between August 21 and September 12, 2025,” Air Canada wrote.
“If you purchased a non-refundable fare, you may cancel your itinerary and receive the unused portion of your ticket in your AC Wallet or as a Future Travel Credit to use on your next Air Canada booking. If you purchased your ticket with Air Canada Vacations, please reach out to them directly,” the airline noted.
“Due to the volume of flight cancellations, we are also providing a full refund upon request for the unused portion of tickets purchased on or before August 15, 2025 for travel with Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge between August 16 and August 17, 2025. This does not include Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz and PAL airlines, which will continue to operate as scheduled,” according to the airline.
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