Friday August 15, 2025 | TORONTO, ON
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Update August 16, 2025: Jobs minister orders Air Canada flight attendants back to work
As published August 15, 2025:
As of 8 pm ET this evening (5 pm PT), August 15, the operational wind down impact due to the impending CUPE strike (by flight attendant workers) includes:
- Total flights cancelled: 623
- People impacted: 100,100
- For information on options if you are scheduled to travel soon, visit the Air Canada Labour Disruption website.
Starting yesterday, long-haul flights were the first to be cancelled (out of Toronto and Vancouver).
The Air Canada airline has posted:
A planned strike by CUPE, the union representing 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, is expected to begin Saturday, August 16 at 01:00 ET. To provide our customers with certainty, we have begun a phased wind-down of most of our operations, to be completed over the next two days.
If you are booked to travel between August 15 and August 19 and would like to make alternate travel arrangements, you can change your flight for free if:
- You purchased an Air Canada ticket or redeemed points for an Aeroplan flight reward no later than August 14, 2025
If you’re scheduled to travel during this period, you can retrieve your booking to change to another Air Canada flight, for free on:
- August 15, 2025 or
- Another date between August 21 and September 12, 2025
If you purchased a non-refundable fare, you may cancel your itinerary and receive the unused portion of your ticket in your AC Wallet or as a Future Travel Credit to use on your next Air Canada booking. If you purchased your ticket with Air Canada Vacations, please reach out to them directly. If you purchased an Aeroplan flight reward, you can cancel without a fee on our website.
If you opt to keep your current booking and your flight is cancelled due to a labour disruption, Air Canada will attempt to rebook you on another flight, including those operated by other airlines.
However, available capacity on our airline and on other carriers is limited due to the summer travel peak, meaning the possibility of rebooking you within an acceptable timeframe is low. If your travel is disrupted, you can always choose a refund.
===== RELATED:
Jobs minister orders Air Canada flight attendants back to work (August 16, 2025)
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