Air Canada has issued the statutory 72-hour lockout notice to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) representing 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge after the union provided strike notice to begin on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 0:1.00 ET.
A strike at the airline will heavily impact Vancouver International Airport (YVR), which acts as Air Canada’s primary West Coast hub. Air Canada operates several high-demand routes from Vancouver, including international flights to Tokyo Narita, Beijing Capital, San Francisco, New York (JFK), and London Heathrow, as well as domestic flights to Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto. These routes will face cancellations or long delays, potentially leaving thousands of passengers stranded in Vancouver or unable to reach their final destinations.
Information for Air Canada’s customers
Customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and eligible for a full refund, which can be obtained online at aircanada.com or through the Air Canada mobile app.
Air Canada has made arrangements with other Canadian and foreign carriers to provide its customers with alternative travel options to the best of its ability. The airline will notify its customers of these alternative travel options. However, given that other carriers are already very full due to the summer travel peak, Air Canada acknowledges that securing such capacity will take time and, in many cases, will not be immediately possible.
Air Canada has undertaken other measures to mitigate the impact on customers, including implementing a flexible rebooking policy for all customers so that they can change or defer travel at no additional cost. Air Canada will, in all cases, inform passengers of their rights under applicable rules if their flight is cancelled or delayed and meet its regulatory obligations.
Air Canada strongly recommends against customers going to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking and their flights are showing as operating (check your flight’s status on aircanada.com or on Air Canada’s mobile app before going to the airport).
Air Canada also advises its customers to use self-service tools, as contact centre wait times are expected to be highly elevated.
A travel disruption will not only leave Air Canada’s own passengers stranded but also affect travellers flying with major international carriers such as United, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Emirates, due to Air Canada’s extensive codeshare partnerships and hub operations in major airports across Canada.
Additional customer information, including an FAQ, is available at aircanada.com/action.
