At 12:01 AM this morning, Air Canada pilots became eligible to declare a strike, and Air Canada became eligible to declare a lockout. But instead of that, a few minutes after midnight, good news was announced: an agreement has been reached! The major disruption that would have affected over 100,000 travelers a day has been averted!!!
Here are a few quick details, including the impact for those who had taken advantage of the special goodwill policy (waiver) to change their flight dates.
Overview of Air Canada agreement
Here’s what was announced:
- A preliminary 4-year agreement has been reached
- There will be no flight disruptions in the short term
- Pilots and board of directors must ratify agreement
- Voting will take place within the next month
So no problem for travelers leaving soon, but the risk is not completely eliminated just yet (as is always the case in such situations): pilots must now vote.
It should be accepted, but those who have a flight in October, like me who has 3 trips in that month, will have to wait a little before rejoicing completely. Of course, we’ll keep you in the loop (you can join 100,000+ savvy Canadian travelers who receive our content in our free newsletter).
This agreement is obviously great news for travelers. That includes me, as for the flight I needed from Texas to Toronto on September 26, this week I ended up booking on Air Canada, despite having shared that I’d be booking on a U.S. airline. I had decided that the level of risk was tolerable after all.
For what it’s worth, the previous contract was for 10 years, so it’s definitely shorter this time. The details aren’t known yet (they’ll be revealed after the vote), but it will be interesting to see how much each side toned down their positions to get this done.
Impact for travellers who had changed their flights
Here’s what’s relevant for those who had taken advantage of the special policy:
- The flight can be changed back to the original flight for free
- As long as seats are still available, of course
So hurry up to maximize the chances of seats still being available. As always in the case of flight disruptions (for strikes or any other reasons), quick travelers who are on top of their things fare so much better!
If you had booked a backup flight in a fully refundable fare class, you can refund it now!
More details to come!
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Summary
Air Canada has reached a preliminary 4-year agreement with its pilots, which will need to be ratified by the pilots and Air Canada’s Board of Directors. But flight disruptions are avoided entirely in the short term. It’s great news for the staggering number of travelers who would have been caught up in this unimaginable chaos.
What would you like to know about Air Canada’s agreement with its pilots? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: B737MAX (photo credit: Air Canada)
