Air Canada suspended all operations Saturday morning after greater than 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job over pay and scheduling disputes, prompting the Canadian authorities to step in.
Jobs and Households Minister Patty Hajdu has directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose binding arbitration, extending the prevailing contract till a brand new settlement is reached.
“This resolution will assist make it possible for tons of of 1000’s of Canadians and guests to our nation aren’t impacted due to canceled flights,” Hajdu stated in a press release Saturday afternoon.
The strike has already upended journey plans worldwide on the peak of the summer time season.
The airline, Canada’s largest and the nation’s flag provider, estimates that with its roughly 700 every day flights suspended, some 130,000 prospects will probably be impacted every day the walkout continues.
It is unclear how lengthy the strike will final or when a deal is likely to be reached. Air Canada Chief Working Officer Mark Nasr warned that even after an settlement, it may take as much as per week to totally restart operations.
Air Canada is urging affected prospects to not go to the airport except they’ve a confirmed ticket on an airline apart from Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge. Flights operated by Air Canada Specific companions Jazz and PAL airways aren’t impacted.
Passengers whose flights are canceled will probably be notified. Right here’s what vacationers must know:
Request a refund or credit score
Clients who booked an Air Canada flight on or earlier than Aug. 15 for journey on Saturday or Sunday can cancel for a full refund of the unused portion of their ticket, no matter fare kind, by way of the corporate’s web site or cell app.
Vacationers may additionally go for a journey credit score to make use of towards a future Air Canada reserving.
For different journey dates, refundable ticket holders can request a full refund with no charges. Nonrefundable fares could be transformed into credit score for future journey.
Air Canada can rebook your flight
Should you forgo a refund, Air Canada stated it is going to try and rebook you, together with with different carriers.
However the airline — which serves greater than 180 airports in Canada, the US and on six continents — warned that seats are extraordinarily restricted in the course of the peak summer time season.
“Accessible capability on our airline and on different carriers is proscribed because of the summer time journey peak, that means the potential of rebooking you inside a suitable timeframe is low,” Air Canada stated in a information launch on Saturday.
Passengers also can rebook their flights for dates between Aug. 21 and Sept. 12 at no further price.
Affect on different airways
Air Canada is a member of the Star Alliance community, which incorporates 26 member airways similar to United and Lufthansa. This implies vacationers on associate airways working Air Canada flights could possibly be affected.
United Airways stated in a press release that it’s “working with prospects to get them to their locations and have issued a journey waiver to ensure they’ve the flexibleness to handle their journey plans.”
Airport and company response
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey stated that it’s “absolutely ready to help vacationers and assist reduce disruptions.”
“Airport employees will probably be on-site to help passengers, and we’re working intently with Air Canada and our terminal companions to make sure obligatory assets are in place,” the company stated in a press release forward of the strike.
The Port Authority suggested that vacationers test their flight standing immediately with Air Canada earlier than heading to the airport and permit additional time for journey.
The U.S. Division of Transportation didn’t subject an official assertion on Air Canada’s suspended operations and didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
