Air Canada suspended all operations on Saturday morning after more than 10,000 flight attendees left work for payment and programming disputes, which led the Canadian government to intervene.
The minister of Jobs and families, Patty Hajdu, has ordered the Board of Industrial Relations of Canada to impose binding arbitration, extending the existing contract until reaching a new agreement.
“This decision will help ensure that hundreds of thousands of Canadians and visitors from our country are not affected due to canceled flights,” Hajdu said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.
The strike has already overturned travel plans worldwide in the heyday of the summer season.
The airline, the airline of the largest flag and the country, estimates that with its approximately 700 suspended daily flights, some 130,000 clients will be affected every day, the strike continues.
It is not clear how much the strike will last or when it could reach an agreement. Air Canada’s director, Mark Nasr, warned that even after an agreement, it could take a week to completely restart operations.
Air Canada urges customers not to go to the airport unless they have a confirmed ticket on an airline that is not Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge. Flights operated by Air Canada Express Partners Jazz and Pal Airlines are not affected.
Passengers whose flights are canceled will be notified. This is what travelers need to know:
Request a reimbursement or credit
Customers who reserved an Air Canada flight on August 15 or before to travel on Saturdays or Sundays can cancel a complete reimbursement of the unused part of their ticket, regardless of its type of rate, through the website or the company’s mobile application.
Travelers can also opt for a travel loan to use towards a future Air Canada reservation.
For other travel dates, reimbursable ticket holders can request a complete reimbursement without rates. Non -refundable rates can be converted into credit for future trips.
Air Canada can reserve its flight
If you renounce a refund, Air Canada said it will try to reserve it again, even with other carriers.
But the airline, which serves more than 180 airports in Canada, the United States and six continents, warned that the seats are extremely limited during the maximum summer season.
“The available capacity in our airline and in other carriers is limited due to the summer travel peak, which means that the possibility of reserving it within an acceptable period is low,” said Air Canada in a press release on Saturday.
Passengers can also reserve their flights for dates between August 21 and September 12 at no additional cost.
Impact on other airlines
Air Canada is a member of Star Alliance Network, which includes 26 member airlines such as United and Lufthansa. This means that travelers in the associated airlines that operate Air Canada flights could be affected.
United Airlines said in a statement that he is “working with customers to take them to their destinations and have issued a travel exemption to ensure that they have the flexibility of managing their travel plans.”
Airport and Agency response
The New York Port Authority and New Jersey said it is “completely prepared to support travelers and help minimize interruptions.”
“Airport staff will be on the site to help passengers, and we are working closely with Air Canada and our terminal partners to ensure that the necessary resources are in force,” the agency said in a statement before the strike.
The Port Authority reported that travelers verify their flight status directly with Air Canada before going to the airport and allow extra time to travel.
The United States Department of Transportation did not issue an official statement on suspended Air Canada operations and did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
