Air Canada has cancelled nearly 300 flights prior to a scheduled strike by its unionized flight attendants, messing up travel plans for tens of thousands of passengers. The nation's largest airline has confirmed that as of 12 p.m. on August 15, 2025, 294 flights have been cancelled, impacting roughly 55,726 travellers.
The cancellations are part of an operational wind down ahead of a threatened strike by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) members, who represent the 10,000 flight attendants of the airline. The strike will start shortly before 1:00 a.m. ET Saturday, with Air Canada threatening to cancel as many as 500 flights by the end of Friday.
The union is calling for increased wages and improved remuneration for unpaid responsibilities, specifically ground work done in the course of boarding. In its view, CUPE says flight attendants get paid for time in the air but not for the critical pre-flight work.
“An average passenger, not familiar with common industry practice, could think, ‘I’m waiting to board the plane and there’s a flight attendant helping me, but they’re technically not being paid for that work,’” said Rafael Gomez, head of the University of Toronto’s Center for Industrial Relations. He noted that this pay structure is common globally but remains a point of contention in labour negotiations.
In the face of the intensifying dispute, Air Canada requested that the Canadian government refer the parties to binding arbitration, a step that would force flight attendants back to work while an ultimate resolution is made.
But CUPE has resisted forcefully, calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to "not intervene in this constitutionally protected process for workers to be able to freely negotiate a collective agreement with their employer."
Labour Minister Patty Hajdu chimed in on social media, emphasizing that deals reached at the negotiating table directly are best. "I encouraged both sides to set aside their differences, return to the bargaining table and get this done now for the many travelers who rely on you," Hajdu said.
The disruption is being felt most intensely at hub airports, such as Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, where travellers have been standing at check-in counters while becoming increasingly unsure about their itineraries.
Air Canada's preemptive cancellations are designed to minimize last-minute disruptions if the strike continues, but the extent of the disruption potentially affecting hundreds of flights in just two days indicates the high stakes of the labour confrontation.
As the deadline for the strike hangs in the balance, hours away, the fate of eleventh-hour negotiations may dictate whether Air Canada service resumes to normal or if the airline is to experience one of its biggest work-related shutdowns in years.
For the time being, travelers are being urged to monitor their flight status regularly and get ready for huge delays or cancellations. The situation is constantly evolving, with both parties under increasing pressure to agree on a deal before the strike really gets underway.
