Air Canada strike ends, but passengers still face long wait times

Many travellers in the Maritimes are waiting to see if their flights will take off as the Air Canada strike ends.

Flight attendants say they’re relieved to return to work after Air Canada reached a tentative agreement with its union, but passengers continue to face long waits and disruptions at airports.

“The phone was going absolutely crazy. We had received a stand down order at about 5:30 in the morning Halifax time,” said Lisa Vivian Macdonald, an in-charge flight attendant with Air Canada. “We were jubilant, you know, like we were relieved. We were kind of shocked it happened pretty quickly, but maybe a little bit anxious. We don’t know what’s in the tentative agreement just yet, but definitely very relieved that we didn’t have to go back to the picket line today.”

Macdonald said one of the most significant messages filtering through was that “unpaid work is over.”

“It’s definitely one of our big two items. One is wages, the other one is unpaid work,” she said. “Just saying those words is just such an incredible relief. It’s such a good feeling that we don’t have to fight this fight anymore. We can go back to doing what we really love, helping passengers in the air and on the ground, and we’re going to be paid for it. That’s just the best feeling. It’s our perseverance really paid off in this regard.”

She said fight crews were already being called back to duty.

“Our phones have been all abuzz this afternoon with the company reaching out to us, getting us back to base, people getting their uniforms on, packing their bags, heading out to the airport. From what I understand, we have four aircrafts here in Halifax, so those will be quickly crewed as soon as possible, and back in the rotation again,” she said.

The Halifax Airport Authority said Air Canada is beginning the restart of its network.

“Air Canada has advised that its flight operations will restart as early as this evening, but they’ve also advised that that can take some time, considering it’s a network-wide affected situation,” said spokesperson Jessica Pettigrew. “They’re saying it could take seven-to-10 days to get their network back to regular operations.

“Our message and advice for passengers remains the same, which is to please not come to the airport unless they’ve confirmed their flight status.”

Some passengers at Halifax Stanfield International Airport were able to secure seats after days of uncertainty.

“My earliest flight out was going to be Saturday,” said Brooke Takacas, who had travelled to Halifax to visit her sister. “Got a call this morning, or just saw that the strike was over this morning, and came back to the airport and tried my best to get on a flight. They’re really accommodating. Most of the staff up there are trying to move you to other airports within the area, whether it be Moncton or Fredericton or St. John’s because they’re only flying west out here and their flights are booking up.

“I get to go home tonight. I got on a flight. 8:50 I board, so I’m feeling good.”

Other travellers expressed anger over the costs they faced. “

I fortunately had the thought on Thursday, I needed to book another flight, so I booked it with Flair,” said passenger Lorraine Jack. “Now the baggage I have is what they call an under-the-seat regulation… But I had to pay almost an extra $100 just for my little carry-on because I was quarter inch over. On top of my $350 Flair flight, I had to pay for one way to a different airport that’s not even going to Toronto.

“I could have got a flight with Porter for Friday for $1,600. The big, huge problem is I have an oncology appointment tomorrow with a cancer specialist. I can’t miss it. I have to do it.”

She said she had heard of other passengers who have spent thousands.

“It’s ridiculous the stories I’m hearing,” she said. “Organ transplants were left sitting. Something’s wrong and something’s got to get fixed.

“You try to talk to Air Canada and the only thing they’re offering is a refund on the unused portion of my trip, which is approximately $140, which doesn’t even begin to pay for hotels, meals, the extra – well, just the flight alone. But I gotta get home. What else can I do? Thank God it’s over, and hopefully we’ll be back. But we need to get something that this doesn’t happen. This affected thousands of people.”