Air Canada Strike 2025: Flight Attendants’ Protest, Government Action, and What Comes Next

Air Canada Strike 2025: Why Flight Attendants Protested and How the Government Responded

In August 2025, Air Canada, the country’s national airline, faced one of the biggest labor crises in decades when its flight attendants staged a sudden strike. This marked the first major strike since 1985 and led to the cancellation of nearly 700 flights, leaving more than 100,000 passengers stranded at airports across the globe. The disruption came at the peak of the summer travel season, putting enormous strain on Canada’s tourism industry, economy, and international reputation.

The main reason behind the strike was the long-standing demand of flight attendants for fair pay, particularly for their ground duties. Currently, their salaries are calculated only from the time the aircraft doors close until they open at the destination. However, attendants spend hours preparing aircraft, assisting passengers during boarding, and managing post-landing procedures without any additional compensation. According to the union, this amounts to 30–35 hours of unpaid work per month, which they described as deeply unfair.

Air Canada had proposed a deal that included a 38% wage increase over four years, with limited pay for ground duties. But the union rejected the offer, arguing it was insufficient, especially when compared with rising inflation, housing costs, and better pay offered by competitors such as Air Transat. The union stressed that workers were not only seeking fair compensation but also respect and recognition for the full scope of their responsibilities.

As the strike escalated, thousands of travelers were left stranded in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and international hubs. Some families were separated, while many tourists had to cancel vacations. The chaos highlighted how crucial flight attendants are to airline operations.

In response, the Canadian government intervened with an extraordinary step. The Labour Minister invoked a rarely used clause in the Canada Labour Code to enforce binding arbitration. This compelled flight attendants to immediately return to work while leaving the final resolution of the dispute to an independent arbitrator. Flights gradually resumed, but officials warned it could take up to a week for the airline’s schedule to fully stabilize.

The government’s intervention sparked backlash from the flight attendants’ union. Leaders accused Ottawa of undermining workers’ constitutional right to strike and favoring corporate interests over labor rights. “We were fighting for our basic dignity,” one union representative said, arguing that the decision had set a troubling precedent for labor negotiations in Canada.

This strike revealed a deeper structural issue in the aviation industry: unpaid ground time. Many Canadians supported the attendants’ position, pointing out that work is work, regardless of whether it takes place in the air or on the ground. Air Canada, however, argued that meeting all demands would drastically raise operating costs and jeopardize the airline’s competitiveness.

Although the strike ended with the government’s intervention, the core issue remains unresolved. The binding arbitration ruling in the coming weeks will determine whether attendants will finally receive pay for all the hours they work. Whatever the outcome, this dispute is likely to set a landmark precedent not just for Air Canada but for the entire Canadian aviation sector.