A possible pilot strike at Air Canada could affect your trip. Here’s how you can take action
With a looming pilot strike, Air Canada is preparing for a shutdown that could affect tens of thousands of passengers.
Canada’s largest airline and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents more than 5,000 Air Canada pilots, are currently negotiating the union’s wage demands. Air Canada pilots are demanding compensation equivalent to that of their U.S. counterparts.
“The airline can mitigate the impact on travellers and that is exactly what Air Canada is trying to do now,” says Frederic Dimanche, professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and director of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
Air Canada is preparing to cancel flights ahead of a possible pilot strike next week, leaving passengers to look for alternative travel options.
He said giving travellers the opportunity to rebook their flights or offering them credits – as Air Canada does – is “the absolute least” the airline can do.
“I think it’s important that people are aware that there may be a strike coming and that they need to take appropriate precautions.”
Here’s how a possible strike could affect your travel plans and what you can do about it.
What you should know about a possible strike
A strike or lockout cannot take place before the end of the 21-day cooling-off period, which began on August 27 after the pilots’ union voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.
While Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights would be affected by a potential strike, Air Canada Express (which owns the airlines Jazz and PAL) is not involved in the negotiations and its flights will continue to operate as normal.
Sunday, September 15: Air Canada may begin to cease operations.
15-18 September: If no agreement is reached, the airline or union will likely issue a 72-hour strike or lockout notice and initiate a three-day reduction plan.
Both Air Canada and its low-cost subsidiary Air Canada Rouge are preparing to suspend their flights for three days starting Sunday.
If a passenger’s flight is cancelled due to a strike or lockout, Air Canada will notify the passenger, who will be entitled to a full refund but will not be entitled to any additional compensation under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations.
Wednesday, September 18: Following the three-day closure, a complete suspension of Air Canada operations will begin at 00:01 that day.
After September 18: After a complete shutdown, Air Canada expects it will take seven to ten days to resume normal operations.
Make changes to your booking
Customers who booked a ticket or redeemed points for an Aeroplan award flight on September 9 or earlier – for travel between September 15 and 23 – can now make changes to their bookings free of charge, in accordance with Air Canada’s goodwill policy.
You can rebook your flight on any Air Canada airline (including Rouge and Express) to another date between September 9 and 14 and/or between September 24 and November 30, 2024.
If you booked your trip through a third party, the airline recommends that passengers contact the travel agent or travel company directly.
Air Canada is currently working to shut down most of its flight operations, likely starting Sunday, as talks with the pilots’ union have stalled over “inflexible” wage demands, the country’s largest airline said on Monday. Duncan Dee, Air Canada’s former COO, says this will have a “disproportionate impact” and particularly affect travellers east of Toronto heading towards Atlantic Canada.
If you cancel your flight
Customers who cancel their flight will receive a full refund if they purchased a refundable fare. A cancellation fee may apply depending on the type of ticket purchased.
If you purchased your ticket with Aeroplan points, you can cancel it and have your points credited back to your account.
If you purchased a non-refundable ticket, you can receive a one-time credit toward future travel on your next Air Canada booking. However, the credit has an expiration date and is non-transferable.
If Air Canada cancels your flight
The airline will notify you if your flight is cancelled and you will be entitled to a full refund, regardless of the fare you booked. There are no cancellation fees.
The airline will also try to rebook you on another flight, but will point out that there are limited seats available.
Air Canada’s website states: “If you are contacted by someone claiming to represent Air Canada offering to change your booking, please note that we will never ask you for your booking reference or tracking number as we already have this information.”
