Air Canada, which is currently in negotiations with the pilots’ union ALPA, said in a statement on September 9 that it is still far from reaching an agreement. If no agreement is reached by September 15, a 72-hour strike or lockout notice may be issued.
Air Canada has announced that it will gradually scale back operations in preparation for the strike and will begin gradually reducing the number of flights operated by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge as early as the 15th. The strike will begin on September 18th at the earliest.
Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge operate an average of about 670 flights per day, with about 110,000 passengers. A strike or facility closure would have a major impact on passengers. Air Canada says there is still a chance the strike can be avoided, but at this point it is unclear. Air Canada has been in labour negotiations with the pilots’ union, ALPA, which represents about 5,200 of the airline’s pilots, since June last year.
The airline has offered a 30 percent wage increase over the next three years, but the union is demanding wages on par with those of U.S. airline pilots.