UPDATED: Flight attendants remain on picket line, as Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge flights remain suspended

The union representing Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants said at a press conference today that it will continue to support and standby its members in their fight for a new collective agreement.

CUPE National President, Mark Hancock said at the briefing: “We will not turn our back on these workers. We will not turn our back on these members. We’re going to continue to support those flight attendants that are walking the picket lines at Pearson and across the country. We will do whatever it takes to get them a collective agreement that they can vote on.”

Hancock continued: “None of us want to be in defiance of any law, but as I’ve said repeatedly, we’re going to stay committed to those workers that are walking the line.”

And he added: “We don’t want Canadians caught in this, but we will not be returning to the skies this afternoon.” [Aug. 18, 2025]

To watch the full press conference, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE: Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge flights remain suspended

In an update from Air Canada this afternoon (Aug. 18), the carrier said that all flights of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge remain suspended due to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) failing to direct its flight attendant members to resume the performance of their duties as directed by the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).

The CIRB has also directed flight attendants to resume the performance of their duties immediately.

Air Canada said that customers whose flights are cancelled are being notified of the cancellations and offered options that include a full refund, a future travel credit or rebooking on another airline.

Those whose flights are cancelled are strongly advised not to go to the airport, unless they have a confirmed booking on a flight by another carrier.

The airline said that in response to a labour disruption by CUPE that led to a strike on Aug. 16, Air Canada has been cancelling flights on a rolling basis.

At present, all flights by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge are cancelled until the afternoon (EDT) of Aug. 19, 2025. Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz or PAL continue to operate as normal.

Air Canada’s intended restart of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge operations, which have been grounded since Aug. 16 as a result of CUPE’s labour disruption, was prevented yesterday (Aug. 17) by CUPE leadership’s unlawful strike activities. The airline now estimates 500,000 customers will be disrupted as a result.

Air Canada deeply regrets the disruption’s impact on customers.

Additional customer information, including an FAQ, is available at www.aircanada.com/action.