Air Canada Locks Out 10,000 Flight Attendants as CUPE Strike Begins

Air Canada has locked out about 10,000 flight attendants after their union, CUPE, launched strike action early Saturday morning. The lockout started at 1:30 a.m. ET on August 16, less than an hour after the union walked off the job.

The airline had already issued a 72-hour lockout notice in response to CUPE’s strike notice. In the days leading up, it reduced its schedule of about 700 daily flights. The company says “some 130,000 customers will be impacted each day that the suspension continues.”

Air Canada said it “remains engaged and committed to negotiate a renewal to its collective agreement with CUPE.” The airline is warning passengers not to show up at airports unless they already have confirmed tickets on another carrier. “Air Canada is strongly advising affected customers not to go to the airport unless they have a confirmed ticket on an airline other than Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge,” the company said.

CUPE, meanwhile, accused the airline of walking away from negotiations. In an August 15 statement, the union said it has “respectfully urged Employment Minister Patty Hajdu not to intervene pursuant to section 107 of the Canada Labour Code thereby permitting collective bargaining to continue and allowing the parties to negotiate a resolution.”

The union argued that “the integrity of the collective bargaining process depends on allowing the parties to reach a resolution through free and fair negotiations, without undue interference.” CUPE said Air Canada “appears to have anticipated government intervention and has opted to suspend meaningful discussions, contrary to its legal obligation to bargain in good faith.”

According to CUPE, it had made concessions in wage talks earlier in the week. “On August 11, 2025, the Union submitted a revised wage proposal, which included the withdrawal of its long-standing position seeking the same wage adjustment previously provided by Air Canada to its pilots. Despite this significant concession, Air Canada declined to meaningfully engage with the proposal and did not present a counter-proposal.”

The union added that Air Canada “unilaterally declared an impasse and withdrew from the bargaining table” on August 12, while also asking the minister to block job action under section 107. CUPE said the company’s move “had a chilling effect on Air Canada’s obligation to bargain in good faith.”

“The Union submits that the appropriate course of action is for Air Canada to return to the table and resume good faith bargaining,” the statement read. “Air Canada’s request for ministerial intervention under section 107 should be firmly rejected.”

Air Canada says it will contact travellers with upcoming flights if their trips are cancelled and outline their options. Passengers with flights still scheduled can rebook or take a credit for future travel under the airline’s goodwill policy.

For now, flights remain cancelled by Air Canada and the chaos begins for travellers stuck in limbo from this job dispute. Are your travel plans affected by this situation right now?