Aidan Jaager
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants will potentially walk off the job on Saturday, with cancellations and delays already affecting travellers at Saskatchewan airports this week.
Air Canada flight attendants, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), issued a 72-hour strike Wednesday. In response, Air Canada issued a lockout notice and began cancelling flights on Thursday, gradually halting operations by Saturday.
“We’re strongly encouraging passengers to not come to the airport,” Regina International Airport president and CEO James Bogusz said.
“If your flight’s been cancelled, you’ll need to work with Air Canada directly on either a refund or re-accommodation. It’s going to be substantially impactful to passengers both coming and leaving YQR and those with connecting flights,” he added.
The strike is being carried out due to stalled negotiations over wages and unpaid work, despite Air Canada’s offer of a 38 per cent pay increase over four years. The union claims the offer falls below inflation and doesn’t compensate for unpaid duties like boarding and safety checks.
Air Canada also grounded staff standby travel in the lead-up to the strike.
In a brief emailed statement, Saskatoon International Airport recommended all travellers check the status of their flights with the airlines before coming to the airport.
“While not currently affecting flights at YXE, as the situation develops, Air Canada may need to proactively make changes or cancellations to flights,” a spokesperson wrote.
In Regina, Bogusz said flights to Toronto and, to a certain extent, Vancouver, will be affected, but there won’t be any cancellations for Air Canada Jazz flights.
“What that means is we’ll likely see the continuation of some service to Vancouver and also service to Montreal that we have a few days a week that is at a local level.”
“We have to recognize that connecting flights beyond a place like Vancouver or Montreal may very well be impacted, and it’s very important that those who are hearing the story today ensure that if they are travelling with Air Canada over the next few days, to make sure that they have their contact information, their email address and a mobile phone number updated with their itinerary,” Bogusz said.
He urges those in the terminal to treat Air Canada agents with respect.
“They do not want to have this disruption either, but we’re in a situation where we want to make sure people are kind and respectful to those who are trying to serve.”
Bogusz said Air Canada represents around 35 per cent of Regina’s total flight service volume.
