Air Canada's unionized flight attendants are continuing their job action on Monday, Aug. 18, despite being ordered back to work by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).
The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents around 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants, commenced its strike at 9:58 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 15 (Vancouver time). Concurrently, Air Canada locked out its employees, appealing to the federal government for arbitration.
Let's break down the latest info, including what anyone booked on an AC flight needs to know.
How many flights have been cancelled?
The airline preemptively cancelled hundreds of flights affecting over 100,000 passengers in the days leading up to the strike deadline, creating travel chaos on routes worldwide.
Air Canada estimated Monday that roughly 500,000 customers’ flights have been cancelled since the strike began.
FlightAware's online flight tracker shows there have been 124 flight cancellations at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) over the past 24 hours alone.
Have the union members been ordered back to work?
The union has directed its members to continue job action, defying a CIRB order for its members to return to work at 9 a.m. on Monday (Vancouver time).
The board had declared the strike unlawful after the federal government, on Saturday, used Section 107 of the Labour Code to force the two sides into binding arbitration.
CUPE national president Mark Hancock says that while the union is very sympathetic to the Canadians caught up in the strike, union members "will not be returning to the skies this afternoon."
Air Canada states on its website that it has "suspended its plan to gradually resume operations, after CUPE illegally directed its flight attendant members not to return to work."
How can I check if my flight is cancelled?
Air Canada instructs customers with cancelled flights not to go to the airport "without a confirmed new booking." YVR also doubles down on this message, advising customers not to come to the airport unless they have a confirmed flight.
The airline has repeatedly stated it will notify customers with cancelled or impacted flights via email or text message. However, travellers should also check the status of flights online or download the Air Canada mobile app for up-to-date information.
Travellers can also check YVR's Departures and Arrivals page. Flights departing from cities across Canada, south of the border, and from around the world have already been cancelled to and from the airport for the upcoming days.
Customers can check their flights via their flight number or their destination. Currently, flights departing on Monday are red (cancelled), while some on Tuesday appear green (on time or schedule), such as on the popular route between Vancouver and Toronto. However, these flights may be cancelled as the labour negotiations continue.
What should I do if my Air Canada flight is cancelled?
Air Canada previously said customers with flights booked between Aug. 15 and 18 can change their flight for free if they bought an Air Canada ticket or redeemed points for an Aeroplan flight reward no later than Aug. 13. Now, the airline has extended the booking window for flights booked until Aug. 17 and travel until Aug. 22.
If customers are scheduled to travel during this period, they can retrieve their booking to change their flight, for free, to another date between Aug. 23 and Sept. 30.
If you purchased a non-refundable fare, you may cancel your itinerary and receive the value of your ticket in your AC Wallet or as a Future Travel Credit to use on your next Air Canada booking.
Air Canada has also introduced a new full refund upon request option due to the "high volume of requests" for the unused portion of tickets purchased on or before Aug. 15, for travel between Aug. 18 and Aug. 21.
Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THIA) is encouraging Canadians to review their travel insurance coverage carefully and contact their providers for any clarification if they have questions. They may be entitled to compensation in some cases.
Am I entitled to extra compensation?
Under Canada's Airline Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), customers are not eligible for compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, meals, hotels or other incidental expenses during labour disruptions over and above re-booking them on the next flight if all their travel takes place in Canada.
But if customers experience flight delays on re-booked flights that AC preemptively cancels, they can apply for cash compensation for the inconvenience of up to $1,000 per passenger, depending on the length of delay they experienced arriving at their final destination compared to the scheduled arrival (if they were notified about the cancellation 14 days or less before their travel date), according to Air Passenger Rights advocacy group president Gabor Lukacs
If they opt for a refund, they may be entitled to $400 cash compensation per passenger for their inconvenience (if they were notified about the cancellation 14 days or less before their travel date).
Travellers with flights cancelled due to the labour dispute are entitled to different compensation based on where they are flying to and from. Purely domestic flights are only entitled to compensation under the APPR. Flights with international components have protection under the Montreal Convention (the air passenger rights guide for international flights).
With files from The Canadian Press.
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