Air Canada strike begins: How are you affected?

A strike involving some 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants has begun nationwide. While only a portion of NWT flights are affected, many northern travellers could still be stranded.

Air Canada-branded flights between Yellowknife and Vancouver or Edmonton are actually operated separately as Air Canada Express, and they don’t fall under the main airline’s bargaining agreement with flight attendants, so they are likely to go ahead as planned.

On Saturday morning, the Yellowknife Airport’s arrivals and departures board showed all flights on time as of 4:30am MT.

However, Saturday’s AC 1944 Yellowknife-Toronto service has been cancelled because of the strike as Air Canada Rouge, the leisure brand that operates the NWT-Toronto route, is part of the labour dispute.

AC 1945, Saturday evening’s Toronto-Yellowknife service, was listed by the airline as still running as of 4:30am, but whether the flight would in fact go ahead wasn’t immediately clear.

The problem for many northerners will be their connections. If you’re flying between major cities before the final leg of your journey from Edmonton or Vancouver, you’re likely to have trouble completing those trips with Air Canada while the strike continues.

Already, some Yellowknife residents have described being stuck in St John’s, Newfoundland after travelling to watch their children compete at the Canada Games. Others are finding it hard to come back from vacations.

While Air Canada theoretically is obliged to rebook you for another flight – even with a rival airline – sometimes there are no seats available by the time Air Canada cancels its flight, and there are other costs like hotels to consider.

At major airports, the flight attendants’ union is setting up picket lines. Given how few mainline Air Canada flights serve Yellowknife, YZF is not one of the chosen locations.

If you’re affected, please use the form below to tell us your experience.

Related Articles