Air Canada reaches deal with flight attendant union to end strike, operations to slowly restart
Published:Tuesday | August 19, 2025 | 3:32 PM
TORONTO (AP) — Air Canada said it will gradually restart operations after reaching an agreement early on Tuesday with the union for 10,000 flight attendants to end a strike that disrupted the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of travellers.
The agreement came after Canada’s biggest airline and the union resumed talks late Monday for the first time since the strike began over the weekend, affecting about 130,000 travelers a day at the peak of the summer travel season.
Air Canada said flights will start resuming at 4 p.m. ET.
Flight attendants walked off the job early Saturday after turning down the airline’s request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which allows a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract.
The union said the agreement will guarantee members pay for work performed while planes are on the ground, resolving one of the major issues that drove the strike.
“Unpaid work is over. We have reclaimed our voice and our power,” the union said in a statement. “When our rights were taken away, we stood strong, we fought back — and we secured a tentative agreement that our members can vote on.”
Chief executive Michael Rousseau said restarting a major carrier is a complex undertaking and said regular service may require seven to 10 days. Some flights will be cancelled until the schedule is stabilized.
“Full restoration may require a week or more, so we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding over the coming days,” Rousseau said in a statement.
The two sides reached the deal with the help of a mediator early Tuesday morning.
The airline said mediation discussions “were begun on the basis that the union commit to have the airline’s 10,000 flight attendants immediately return to work.”
Air Canada declined to comment further on the agreement until the ratification process is complete. It noted a strike or lockout is not possible during this time.
The carrier said it plans to complete about half Tuesday’s scheduled flights, with a focus on international outbounds.
The ramp-up will begin on Wednesday morning for mainline North American routes.
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