Air Canada and its flight attendants union say they have reached a mediated settlement, and the airline says it will gradually resume flights this afternoon.
After a wild couple days that saw the Air Canada flight attendants union defy a government order to go back to work, the two sides renewed negotiations late on Monday night. A mediated settlement was announced early Tuesday morning, 19AUG.
“The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers,” said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada. “We deeply regret and apologize for the impact on them of this labour disruption.
“Our priority now is to get them moving as quickly as possible. Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking. Full restoration may require a week or more, so we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding over the coming days.”
Air Canada said it will offer options to those with cancelled flights, including a full refund or receiving a credit for future travel. It will also offer to rebook customers on other airlines where possible.
The agreement still has to be ratified by the membership. But this first step will get the airline flying again.
“The union has just completed mediation with Air Canada/Air Canada Rouge,” the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees said on its website. “The strike has ended. We have a tentative agreement we will bring forward to you.
“We are required to advise our membership that we must fully cooperate with resumption of operations,” the union said.
