DEAL!

Air Canada, Pilots Reach Last-Minute Deal; Strike Averted

Air Canada, Boeing 737-8
Just when it looked like Canadians might be headed for travel chaos, Air Canada and its pilot’s have announced a surprise deal.

Air Canada today said it has reached a tentative, four-year collective agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), representing more than 5,200 pilots at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge.

The new agreement recognizes the contributions and professionalism of Air Canada's pilot group, while providing a framework for the future growth of the airline. Terms of the new agreement will remain confidential pending a ratification vote by the membership, expected to be completed over the next month, and approval by the Air Canada Board of Directors.

Customers who used the airline's labour disruption goodwill policy to change their flights originally scheduled from between September 15 and 23, 2024, to another date before November 30, 2024, can change their booking back to their original flight in the same cabin at no cost, providing there is space available.

Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge will continue to operate as normal and for more information customers should consult www.aircanada.com/action.

If ratified, the tentative agreement will generate an approximate additional $1.9B of value for Air Canada pilots over the course of the agreement, ALPA said in a 15SEP press release. Ratification requires approval by a majority of the voting membership, who will soon receive the tentative deal for review.

“While it has been an exceptionally long road to this agreement, the consistent engagement and unified determination of our pilots have been the catalyst for achieving this contract,” said First Officer Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada ALPA MEC. “After several consecutive weeks of intense round-the-clock negotiations, progress was made on several key issues including compensation, retirement, and work rules. This agreement, if ratified by the pilot group, would officially put an end to our outdated and stale decade-old, ten-year framework.”

Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau this week said the two sides were nearly at an impasse, and airline officials were blasting pilots for seeking unreasonable wage increases. But the two sides knuckled down and announced a tentative deal.
The Air Line Pilots Association was in a legal position to issue a 72-hour strike notice as of 12:01 a.m. ET on Sunday, 15SEP. Likewise, Air Canada management was in a legal position to issue a lockout notice at that time.
The airline said it would have to begin an “orderly shutdown” of operations on 15SEP if a deal wasn’t reached. That no longer seems likely to happen, although the deal must still be ratified by the union rank and file.
Air Canada has some 670 flights and carries more than 100,000 passengers per day. A strike or lockout would have been devastating for travellers, and also would have badly damaged the Canadian economy, business leaders warned this week.

Jim Byers

Contributor

Jim Byers is a freelance travel writer based in Toronto. He was formerly travel editor at the Toronto Star and now writes for a variety of publications in Canada and around the world. He's also a regular guest on CBC, CTV News, Global News and other television and radio networks.

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