Air Canada Flight Disruptions Mount Ahead of Potential Flight Attendant Strike


Skift Take

A strike could still be avoided. But Air Canada — the largest airline in Canada — is already preparing to cancel hundreds of flights with a potential ripple effect.

Air Canada started canceling flights Thursday ahead of a potential flight attendant strike that could hamper the carrier’s operations over the coming weekend. 

As of Thursday morning, Air Canada had nine flight cancellations and 69 delays, according to flight tracking site FlightAware. Cancellations are expected to grow as Air Canada said on Wednesday that it plans to gradually wind down operations before the strike that is slated to start on Saturday at 1 a.m. ET. 

Talks between Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, known as CUPE, broke down over the past few weeks. Air Canada said Tuesday that it believed it had reached