Air Canada has grounded all its operations following a strike of its 10,000 flight attendants, who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), who demanded better working conditions and increased pay. The carrier did not deny that hundreds of flights were canceled on Friday, tens of thousands of passengers were affected, many of whom were flying on popular routes to and from India.
In a press release, Air Canada said that 623 flights had been canceled, and this affected more than 100,000 passengers directly. The strike technically started early on Saturday in when the airline had already implemented a so-called phased wind-down of the majority of its services on Thursday, a notice that disruption was coming. Both Air Canada and its low-cost carrier, Air Canada Rouge, had to shut down completely.
It involved the elimination of directly serviced flights to New Delhi in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, as well as flights originating in Calgary with a layover in London. Suspension has brought thousands of scrambling looking to find alternative modes of transport as Air Canada, which enjoys much presence in the India-Canada flights, is not available.
Travel experts said there was hope the disruption could be offset, but they all spoke rather cautiously. As Air Canada itself is a member of the Star Alliance, they are able to transfer their passengers over to other member companies, such as Air India, or take the flight via Europe. Vibhor Chhabra, who runs Toronto-based Grand Travel, said there is inevitably some inconvenience, but that agreements with allied carriers would be useful in saving the travel plans of passengers.
Air Canada frequently flies every day to leading places in India, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Kochi via Canadian airports, namely Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary. This abrupt termination can thus be termed as a major setback among tourists, especially when the travelling season is at its peak.
Talks between the airline and CUPE did not reach a settlement in time, thus making passengers wait longer in the dark. The strike has already caused imminent disruptions, and it may cause additional financial pressure unless a breakthrough is attained in the near future.
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