BREAKING: A tentative deal has been reached. The strike is over. More details to come.
The Air Canada strike continues. I think we can now comfortably qualify this whole situation as a major shitshow, if you can pardon my French. With about 100,000+ passengers affected per day, during the peak summer season, it was obviously always going to be absolute chaos if the strike lasted for more than a few days…
Tuesday will be Day #4…
The 10,000+ flight attendants are now in an illegal strike situation by defying the government’s orders… and they don’t seem to want to comply at all. All flights remain canceled as of now.
Here are all the latest details on the Air Canada strike, including what you can do, your detailed list of rights, and a few other frequently asked questions!
What is the latest about the Air Canada strike?
Here’s what just happened:
- Saturday
- The federal government intervened and ordered flight attendants back to work
- Sunday
- The flight attendants’ union defied the order and refused to report back to work
- Monday
- The government reiterated the obligation to return to work and declared the strike illegal
- The flight attendants’ union said they have no intention of complying
- Negotiations restarted late (for the first time in many days)
Wow. The hope generated by the government order was short-lived for all the travelers who are stuck in all this. To be continued, obviously.
Here’s when flights should resume:
- Literally no one knows
- Frankly, it’s not looking good
- Air Canada hopes to resume them on Tuesday
- Seems like wishful thinking, given the union’s stance
- Air Canada also hoped to resume them on Sunday, then on Monday
- Obviously, that didn’t happen
- Once the strike actually ends, expect chaos for a bit longer
- It will take 7 to 10 days to normalize and stabilize operations
We will keep you updated every day; come back to this guide and make sure you receive all our content through our free newsletter!
What are my rights during the Air Canada strike?
Here’s a summary of your rights.
We explain ALL that in detail; you just need to read our post about your rights.
What are the most frequently asked questions about the Air Canada strike?
We’ve regrouped 18 questions we received for which the answer wasn’t here or in the post about your rights (or wasn’t clear enough), with the answers obviously.
What can I do if my flight is affected by the Air Canada strike?
It all depends on your situation, of course. Every traveler is different.
Here’s what you can do if you already want to cancel or postpone your trip:
- You can change your date free of charge (between August 21 and September 12)
- If your flight is between August 15 and 18
- You lose all your rights and recourse
- You can do this online easily by managing your booking
- You can get a free refund in the form of a travel credit
- If your flight is between August 15 and 18
- You lose all your rights and recourse
- You’re stuck with a terrible travel credit
- You can do this online easily by managing your booking
- You can wait to see if your flight will be canceled by the airline
- You would get a cash refund (much better than a travel credit)
- But you could lose the option of a travel credit or a change if the strike is avoided
Here’s what you can do if you absolutely must be where you’re going without delay:
- You can book a refundable backup flight
- You should have done this when we told you weeks ago
- Better late than never, but it will be more expensive
- You can book another flight at the normal price (non-refundable)
- You can hope for an Air Canada cancellation to get a refund
- You can get an Air Canada travel credit right away
Here’s what you can do otherwise (if you don’t want to pay more/be stuck with a travel credit/change/cancel):
- You can hope that the strike doesn’t happen
- Your flight could take off as scheduled
- You can wait to be rebooked for free on another airline if your flight is canceled
- It may take a few days
- You’ll get $500 or $1000 worth of hotels and meals without any effort
- If you paid for your flight with a good credit card (as you always should)
- Thanks to flight delay insurance
- The airline must also provide you with food and lodging (except for domestic flights)
- You’ll get 600 EUR if your flight departs from Europe
Always paying for your flights with a good credit card is really one of the most important tips. It gives you lots of free protections without having to depend on the airline. This is another great example!
What is the Air Canada strike?
Here’s the summary of the situation to date:
- The flight attendants’ employment contract expired in March 2025
- Negotiations between Air Canada and the union have taken place since then
- The federal mediation process has failed
- 99.7% of flight attendants voted for a strike mandate
- Negotiations reached an “impasse” on August 12
- The 72-hour strike notice was given early on August 13
- The strike started early on August 16 (as did a lockout)
- The strike will only end once a deal is reached or the government intervenes
- NOBODY KNOWS how long this will take
So things are not looking very good at all. Unfortunately, both sides say they are very far from reaching an agreement. Who is right and who is wrong is very subjective and not really relevant at this point.
Which flights may be affected by the Air Canada strike?
Here are the flights that are affected:
- Flights operated by Air Canada
- Flights operated by Air Canada Rouge
- NOT flights operated by Air Canada Express (separate subsidiary)
- NOT flights operated by any other airline
- Even if you booked with Air Canada…
- Even if the flight has an Air Canada flight number…
Understanding the difference between the airline that sells a flight and the airline that operates a flight is really one of the most basic things possible, but it doesn’t seem clear to many: obviously, all that matters is the airline that operates your flight. Air Canada flight attendants don’t work on Lufthansa planes, so an Air Canada flight attendant strike will not affect Lufthansa flights!
What happens during the Air Canada strike?
Here’s what it means:
- All flights will be canceled gradually until the end of the strike
- When the strike is over, it will take days to return to normal
- At that point, there will be fewer cancellations, but still many delays
To shut down operations in an orderly manner, flights started being canceled preemptively before the 16th. It’s important to know that if your flight was canceled before the strike itself, you have more rights. But it’s still a nightmare.
How could the Air Canada strike end?
Here’s what could happen to end the strike:
- A deal between both parties
- An agreement to go to arbitration
- An intervention by the federal government
Air Canada seems to be betting everything on the last option. Trudeau didn’t want to get involved in last year’s pilot strike, but Carney could decide otherwise. We will obviously be following this closely for you.
What are the dates of the Air Canada strike?
Here is the very approximate level of risk based on your flight date:
- August 16 to ~ August 18
- Highest risk
- All flights will be canceled starting on the 16th
- Impossible to predict how long it will last
- But reasonable to assume it will last at least 3 days
- ~ August 19 to ~ August 25
- Slightly lower risk
- Government intervention should be swift to end the strike
- Even once the strike is over, there will still be delays and disruptions
- August 26 to August 31
- Much lower risk
- Even once the strike is over, there will still be delays and disruptions
- September
- Very low risk
- Stay tuned, but it would be very surprising if it lasts that long
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Summary
The union representing the 10,000+ flight attendants who work for Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge gave its strike notice. A strike has started on August 16, and will continue until there’s a deal (or a government intervention, more likely). That means absolutely all flights will be canceled as time progresses. And it will take days for the situation to return to normal even after the strike ends. To be continued.
What would you like to know about the Air Canada strike? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Air Canada plane (photo credit: Air Canada)
