As summer winds down, many Canadians are packing up for end-of-season getaways. For Air Canada travellers though, uncertainty is on the itinerary as flight attendants may walk off the job as soon as this Saturday. Here’s everything you need ot know about how the potential strike could affect you.
Related: These Sneaky Tips Will Help You Get Cheaper Flights
What Is the Latest With Air Canada?
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents nearly 10,000 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants, issued a 72-hour strike notice to Air Canada on Wednesday August 13, with 99.7% of members voting in favour of a strike.
According to a union press release, the strike is meant to secure fair wages for unpaid ground and boarding work. As of Friday, the union rejected a binding arbitration requested by the airline. The rejection comes just an hour after the airline said on X that it has cancelled nearly 300 total flights.
The airline has been gradually cancelling more scheduled flights with a full operational shutdown expected by Saturday morning — unless a last-minute deal is reached. Cancelled flights are expected to affect over 55,000 passengers.
What to do if Your Air Canada Flight Is Cancelled
If you’re an Air Canada passenger worrying about a cancelled flight this weekend, the airline is offering free rebooking options.
If your flight was set to take off between August 15 and August 18, you can change your flight to another date on the same weekend (if there are seats available). Or you can change it to any date between August 21 and September 12 as long as you purchased or redeemed points for your ticket before August 14.
If you choose to keep your current booking and your flight is cancelled by this weekend, Air Canada will try to put you on another flight. That includes flights on competitor airlines. However, the airline says it can’t guarantee finding another flight due to high summer demand for travel.
If your flight is non-refundable, you also have the option to cancel your trip and receive the return flight portion as future travel credits.
See Also: I Flew the World’s ‘Best Airline’ and Here’s My Honest Review
Planning Tips for Passengers
Planning ahead in the event of a cancelled flight can be difficult — but there are some precautions you can take. Make sure to monitor your flight status through the Air Canada website or the Aeroplan app for any updates on cancellations or travel delays.
Alternatively, if your plans are flexible, you can consider rebooking. Do keep in mind that finding a seat on an Air Canada flight could be challenging due to the widespread cancellations.
If you’re abroad and worried about being stranded, rebooking options are still available for after August 21 and you may be able to get on a flight even through a competitor airline, if space is available.
For those with travel insurance, it may be worth looking into options to get reimbursed for a cancelled flight if your policy allows it. Make sure to act quickly but stay flexible to keep your options open.
