Air Canada and Pilots Association Avoid Flight Shutdown With Tentative Agreement

Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge made contingency plans to cease all flights for 72 hours if the airline couldn’t reach a new agreement over pilots’ salaries.

In the worst-case scenario, the dispute could’ve forced the airline to cease all operations for up to 72 hours, starting on September 15, 2024.

Now, there’s a tentative 4-year collective agreement between the airline’s head office and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) that avoided the shutdown. However, the ratification of this agreement isn’t complete.

Here’s the latest on what’s happening with Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge pilots.

Air Canada Flights Prepared for Cancellations

Pilot salaries are a sensitive topic for airlines, particularly after the pandemic-related worldwide aviation shutdown in 2020.

In many cases, airlines and unions (organizations that represent pilots in such cases) can compromise before mass disruption occurs.

However, Air Canada believes the ALPA — negotiating on behalf of its pilots — is demanding a disproportionate salary increase in comparison to salaries in other industries across the rest of Canada.

If the stalemate had continued, the airline would have temporarily ceased operations in one of 2 ways: Either the airline would’ve performed a controlled shutdown, or all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge pilots would’ve gone on strike.

The airline put a contingency plan in place for passengers who were scheduled to fly during the potential shutdown.

At the time, Michael Rousseau, president and CEO of Air Canada, said, “We are publicizing our plans to give the more than 110,000 people who travel with us each day greater certainty and the opportunity to reduce the risk of being stranded by using our goodwill policy to change or defer imminent travel at no cost.”

The shutdown would have only affected flights operated by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge; regional Air Canada Express services operated by Jazz and PAL Airlines would have been unaffected.

Tentative Agreement Reached

As of September 15, 2024, Air Canada and the ALPA have reached a tentative collective agreement. The terms of this new 4-year agreement will remain confidential until ratified by a vote from the over 5,200 ALPA members. After approval, the new agreement will go to the Air Canada Board of Directors for approval.

A statement about the tentative agreement says that the new contract framework “recognizes the contributions and professionalism of Air Canada’s pilot group, while providing a framework for the future growth of the airline.”

What if You Changed Your Flight Previously?

Customers who used the goodwill policy to change a flight that would have been affected by the now-averted shutdown can change their flights back at no cost. This applies to flights scheduled between September 15 and September 23, 2024. Space must still be available on your original flight to make the change.

Final Thoughts

It would be a shame if this heated dispute had caused the periodic cancellation of all Air Canada flights, given the stress and disruption it would’ve caused for passengers. Luckily, that shutdown was avoided, as there’s a new agreement on the table.

Should the agreement not be approved by the ALPA or Air Canada Board of Directors, we’ll provide updates on how that would affect travelers.