Air Canada says it expects flights to resume Monday night, even as its striking flight attendants were refusing a federal back-to-work order that the airline deemed “illegal.” The flight attendant union’s defiance forced the company to scrap plans to restart operations on Sunday causing the cancellation of nearly a thousand more flights.
Despite Air Canada’s intentions, the union said employees will remain on strike until a “fair, negotiated collective agreement” is reached.
“Our members are not going back to work,” CUPE National president Mark Hancock said. “We are saying no.”
The Canadian Union of Public Employees held another “day of action” on Sunday with protests at airports across the country and will challenge the order by the Canada Industrial Relations Board to return to work (which took effect at 2 p.m. ET. Sunday).
Air Canada has said passengers whose flights are cancelled will be offered a full refund or the opportunity to change their travel plans without a fee. However, it said that under Canada’s airline passenger protection regulations, customers are not eligible for compensation for expenses incurred during travel delays deemed outside the airline’s control.
“Customers in Canada are not eligible for compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, meals, hotels or other incidental expenses for situations outside the carrier’s control, such as a labour disruption,” the airline said.
It added, customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and are strongly advised not to go the airport unless they have confirmed flights on other airlines.
Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz or PAL continue to operate as normal.
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