Air Canada has suspended all its flights after a strike by cabin staff began, disrupting the travel plans of around 130,000 passengers a day.
On Saturday morning, August 16, the union representing more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants confirmed the start of industrial action.
The airline said it had suspended all flights, including those under its budget arm Air Canada Rouge, and advised affected customers not to travel to the airport unless flying with a different airline.
Air Canada's flight attendants are reportedly demanding higher salaries and compensation for work when aircrafts are on the ground.
The strike began at 00:58 ET (04:58 GMT) on Saturday, though Air Canada began scaling back. The airline said around 500 flights will be affected per day.
Flight attendants will picket at major Canadian airports, where passengers were already trying to secure new bookings earlier in the week.
Air Canada, which flies directly to 180 cities worldwide, said it had "suspended all operations" and that it was "strongly advising affected customers not to go to the airport".
It added that Air Canada Jazz, PAL Airlines and Air Canada Express flights were unaffected by the strike.
By Friday night, the airline said it had cancelled 623 flights, affecting more than 100,000 passengers, as part of a winding down of operations ahead of the strike.
In contract negotiations, the airline said it had offered flight attendants a 38% increase in total compensation over four years, with a 25% raise in the first year, which CUPE said is still not satisfactory.
