Air Canada cancellations could start as early as Friday

If impasse with pilots union continues, airline will begin cancelling flights with full shutdown by Sept. 18

- ANA PEREIRA

Air Canada is preparing for a major shutdown should it fail to reach an agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) by the strike deadline just after midnight on Sunday.

If a 72-hour strike or lockout notice is issued by either party, the airline said it will progressively cancel flights over three days with a complete suspension of operations by Sept. 18 expected to impact 670 daily flights and more than 110,000 travellers. Regional Air Canada Express flights will continue to operate, it added, but they only make up 20 per cent of Air Canada’s daily customers and usually connect to larger flights.

Cancellations could begin as early as this Friday, including holiday packages and the grounding of some aircraft, the airline warned. For flights to sun destinations where it operates once or twice a week, it might have to cancel the trip earlier than the strike deadline to avoid stranding customers, a spokesperson told the Star.

‘Air Canada continues to post record profits … while expecting pilots to accept belowmarket compensation.