Aviation

Air Canada is taking flight “in earnest” today (Wednesday) after the company reached a tentative deal with the union representing its flight attendants to end a strike that began Saturday morning. A full resumption of service may take up to 10 days, says the airline.

In announcing its tentative deal with the Air Canada on behalf of the airline’s flight attendants yesterday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees declared “unpaid work is over” after making it a central issue in its push for a new contract.

A judge on Monday fined Qantas Airways AU$90 million (CDN$80.8 million) for illegally firing more than 1,800 ground staff at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The penalty is in addition to the AU$120 million ($108 million) in compensation that Australia’s biggest airline had already agreed to pay its former employees.

New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute suggests that Air Canada’s reputation appears to be rapidly losing altitude amid a battle between the company and unionized flight attendants.

A demonstration by more than a dozen members of the union representing Air Canada’s flight attendants prompted the airline to shut down a press conference on Thursday as tensions between the two sides continue to mount ahead of a weekend work stoppage.

 A work stoppage looms for around 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants after their union and the airline issued 72-hour strike and lockout notices, respectively, early Wednesday morning. The airline says it will begin cancelling flights that were scheduled to take off today (Thursday), with increasingly more disruptions by the weekend if a last-minute deal can’t be reached before the work stoppage takes effect. Here’s what else you need to know – and what’s next.

Just five months after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Spirit Airlines is warning about its future ability to stay in business. Spirit Aviation Holdings, the budget carrier’s parent company, says it has “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue as a going concern over the next year – which is accounting-speak for running out of money.

Toronto Pearson says it saw slight growth in its overall passenger volumes in both the second quarter and year to date – despite a slowing in transborder traffic. Canada’s busiest airport saw and increase of 0.3 million or 1.5% to 12 million for the second quarter and 0.1 million or 0.1% to 22.7 million year-to-date, when compared to the same periods of 2024.

Air Canada and the union representing its approximately 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants failed to reach an agreement overnight, putting the flight attendants in a position to potentially walk off the job Saturday at 12:58 a.m. ET if a deal isn’t reached by then to avoid a work stoppage.

WestJet says some personal data including information about travel documents such as passports was stolen in a cyberattack earlier this year, but credit and debit card numbers as well as user passwords were not compromised.

In a welcome piece of cross-border travel news, American Airlines launched seasonal flights between Dallas and Quebec City on the weekend, offering a direct flight every Saturday between YQB and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) through Nov. 1.

Air Canada and the union representing 10,000 of its flight attendants resumed talks over the weekend in an attempt to avoid a strike that could potentially begin next week. The flight attendants can potentially walk off the job as soon as Aug. 16 at 12:01 a.m. with at least 72 hours’ notice provided.

More passengers are choosing the front of the bus when flying, according to IATA, which has released its annual World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) report with comprehensive statistical data for 2024.  

In move certain to annoy most members, Aeroplan is changing the way it allocates points. Starting Jan. 1, members will earn their loyalty points on eligible Air Canada flights based on dollars spent rather than the distance they travel. The company says the changes are designed to better recognize Aeroplan members who “spend more and travel more” with Air Canada and who actively engage across the program “while keeping Aeroplan Elite status truly special.”

Air Transat will offer non-stop service to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this winter from both Toronto and Montreal. The flights are part of a fortified 2025-26 winter program that includes a total of 14 new routes.

A disruption to a system housing United Airlines’ flight information that caused more than 1,000 delays has been resolved, but delays continued into Thursday as the carrier worked to restore normal operations.

Air Canada is expanding its multi-modal Landline service to Kingston, enabling customers at Kingston Norman Rogers Airport (YGK) to seamlessly connect with Toronto Pearson. The service adds a third Air Canada Landline service in southern Ontario, following successful launches in Hamilton and Waterloo.

Porter Airlines continues expanding its network at Hamilton International Airport (YHM) with new routes to Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) beginning in December. Flights to Orlando begin Dec. 12, and Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 13, both with three weekly roundtrips.

With passenger revenues from the airline’s U.S. transborder segment dropping 11% during the second quarter, Air Canada says it made the right call to shift capacity toward high-demand international markets as Canadians’ appetite for cross-border travel lagged. 

Air Canada says second-quarter earnings were down from last year in what it characterized as a “challenging environment.” Challenges include an 11% drop in revenue in the airline’s U.S. transborder routes that it attributed to geopolitical tensions and a lower Canadian dollar. 

New research and analysis from a leading travel site shows that the largest U.S. airlines have resumed charging higher fares for most one-way domestic flights than they do on roundtrip bookings.

The union representing Air Canada flight attendants is urging a “strong mandate” to strike by members in voting that beings today.  The process begins after the close to eight months of bargaining and the two sides completing the conciliation process without resolution last week. Voting continues through Aug. 5 and members will be eligible to strike effective Aug. 16.

WestJet and Kenya Airways have announced a new interline partnership agreement that will enable WestJet guests to seamlessly travel to Nairobi, and beyond, with expanded access to 35 destinations across Africa.

Alex McConnachie couldn’t believe his eyes: When he checked Canadian North’s website Monday morning, it said the price of a one-way ticket from Ottawa to Iqaluit had more than tripled to approximately $2,000.

The Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and surrounding area is set to undergo a $10-billion transformation over the next decade. The airport authority for the greater Montreal area says it has negotiated a $1-billion loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank to support its plan for the city’s main air hub.

Vancouver International Airport is the first airport in North America to welcome regular service from South Korean airline T’way Air. The inaugural flight on Saturday kicked off four-times weekly, year-round service between Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul and YVR.

Air Canada is adding flights to Latin America as it looks to diversify its global network this winter.  The airline will resume non-stop service to Lima, Peru, this winter with twice weekly flights from both Montreal and Toronto as well as adding three new routes to Central America and Mexico including, Montreal-Belize, Toronto-Puerto Escondido, and Vancouver-Tepic, Riviera Nayarit.