Flair Airlines flight attendants will receive additional compensation for “work performed before flights,” according to a new update from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
The change means that from 01JAN, 2027, flight attendants required to report at least 60 minutes before a flight will receive additional pay for that time, getting 25% of their normal hourly wage in 2027, increasing to 50% in 2028.
“This is not the end of the road, but this agreement is an important step toward recognizing that when flight attendants are required to be at work, they should be getting paid,” said Teenisha Raju, president of CUPE 4060.
Raju said the union welcomed Flair’s willingness to address the issue ahead of the next round of bargaining.
The agreement was reached more than two years before CUPE 4060’s current collective agreement expires on 31DEC, 2028.
The new agreement will remain in effect through the end of the current collective agreement and does not limit issues the union may pursue in future bargaining.
The union says the agreement builds on gains made by flight attendants at other airlines as part of CUPE’s Unpaid Work Won’t Fly campaign, seeking compensation for work performed before flights.
In August, Open Jaw reported WestJet’s tentative agreement with cabin crew would include a new “duty period premium” for work done on the ground. The move addressed one of the central issues behind a one-day strike held by the carrier’s flight attendants in early August.
