Signs of Prolonged Air Canada Strike... 500,000 Passengers Stranded by Flight Cancellations

Customer Inconvenience Continues
Delays in Refunds and Alternative Flight Arrangements

The strike by Air Canada, the Canadian national airline, shows signs of becoming prolonged. With Air Canada failing to provide an effective response, hundreds of thousands of customers are experiencing inconvenience. It has been estimated that around 500,000 passengers have had their flights canceled.

On August 19, Yonhap News, citing the New York Times (NYT), reported that Air Canada has canceled about 130,000 flights per day due to the strike. Including its low-cost subsidiary, Air Canada Rouge, Air Canada operates approximately 700 flights per day.

On the 16th (local time), Air Canada flight attendants began a strike. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Although countless passengers have been affected, booking alternative flights or receiving ticket refunds has not proceeded smoothly.

Under Canadian law, Air Canada is required to provide passengers with alternative bookings on other airlines or offer refunds in the event of a flight cancellation. However, due to the peak summer travel season, securing seats on other airlines is difficult, making practical alternatives hard to find. If passengers give up on reaching the customer service center and book other tickets themselves, they must bear the costs on their own.

Passengers Booking Alternative Flights on Their Own

The Air Canada union has not officially ended the strike even after the return deadline set by CRIB expired. Reuters Yonhap News

According to the NYT, Jo-Ann Majurat-Oleski, who was traveling in Toronto with her son, was scheduled to return to her home in Winnipeg, Manitoba on the 17th, but received an email from Air Canada a day before her return stating that her flight was canceled due to the strike. A few hours later, she received another email saying that no alternative flight had been booked for her.

She later posted about the situation on TikTok, and through a customer service number sent by another user, she was able to book an alternative flight departing on the morning of the 19th.

The NYT also reported the story of the Angela Passalacqua family, who were stranded in Sicily, Italy due to the strike. Two family members purchased one-way United Airlines tickets for $1,700 (about 2.4 million won) each to return home. The rest of the family is scheduled to return on an alternative flight provided by Air Canada on the 21st. The NYT reported that the cost of the United Airlines tickets they booked separately, as well as additional local accommodation expenses, will not be covered by the airline, as the strike is considered outside the airline's control.

Passalacqua, a New York City public school teacher, said, "We saved money for a year for this trip. This place is beautiful, but now I just want to go home. I just want to get a proper refund."

About 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees began their strike on the 16th (local time), demanding wage increases, work allowances, and compensation for duties other than in-flight work.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has deemed the strike illegal and ordered the union to return to work, but the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the 10,000 Air Canada union members, has refused and announced its intention to continue the strike.