Air Canada is the flag carrier of Canada and the largest carrier in the country. Since the turn of the millennium, Air Canada’s once-dominant market share has declined, as low-cost carriers have risen. Even so, Air Canada remains the dominant carrier in Canada and possesses almost all of the country’s widebody aircraft.
The three-day August 2025 Air Canada strike is over, flight attendants have gone back to work, and the airline’s aircraft are flying again. But why were Air Canada flight attendants striking, and what’s next for the airline? Here is what to know about the Air Canada strike and what flight attendants can expect.
Air Canada Strike And Resumption Of Flights
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
The Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge strike has come to an end after the airline and the union representing the airline’s flight attendants came to a tentative agreement. This put an end to the days-long strike that resulted in the cancellation of thousands of flights and left hundreds of thousands of passengers unable to fly. Over 700 flights had been canceled a day due to the strike between Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge.
Hugh Pouliot, spokesman for the Canadian Union for Public Employees (CUPE), stated, “Flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge have reached a tentative agreement, achieving transformational change for our industry after a historic fight to affirm our Charter rights. Unpaid work is over. We have reclaimed our voice and our power.” The CUPE represented some 10,000 striking flight attendants.
The Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) had declared the strike illegal. Those who went against the CIRB could have been found in contempt of court, which could have led to fines or jail time if the government had sought court enforcement. Even so, flight attendants stood on the picket line. According to Reuters, Hugh Pouliot had previously even said he preferred to risk jail time than allow flight attendants to be forced back to work by the federal government.
Air Canada’s Public Offer
Photo: The Bold Bureau | Shutterstock
It’s unclear exactly what the agreement between Air Canada and the union is. On its website, CUPE simply states, “Flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge have reached a tentative agreement, achieving transformational change for our industry after a historic fight to affirm our Charter rights.” However, it is clear that the flight attendants are getting a significant increase in wages.
A news release by Air Canada on August 14, titled “Air Canada Provides Clarity on its Offer to CUPE,” provides some clues. The airline offered a 38% increase in total compensation over four years. This would include a new provision for ground pay; hourly rates would go as high as CAD 94 (USD 67) per hour in the first year, and hourly pay would increase 12-16% in the first year. Air Canada said by 2027, a senior flight attendant would earn CAD 87,000 (USD 63,000) annually on average.
2025 Air Canada flight attendants strike
Affected airlines
Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge (not JAZZ or PAL Airlines)
Number of striking flight attendants
10,517
Dates
August 16-19, 2025
Duration
3 days
Aims
Increased flight attendant pay, compensation for unpaid work
The top 20% of flight attendants would earn CAD 90,000 (USD 65,000) or more a year. Other benefits would include improvements to health benefits and pension plans, increased paid vacation, measures to improve work-life balance, and more. Air Canada claims it is the only Canadian airline to offer flight attendants access to a pension with a defined benefit component and that they would earn up to CAD 17 (USD 12) more per hour than those working for the largest domestic competitor (WestJet).
Flight Attendants’ Pay With Air Canada
Photo: Joel Serre | Shutterstock
According to Air Canada’s website, Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge employ around 10,400 flight attendants who are represented by the CUPE. It is difficult to compare flight attendants’ pay from different airlines and different countries. Not only do cabin crew earn in different currencies, but compensation is also complicated. The following is per Air Canada’s website before the new negotiated pay.
A flight attendant’s compensation is made up of base pay, incentive awards, a defined pension plan, health benefits, sick days, vacation pay, and discounted leisure travel for not only themselves, but also their families and friends. A flight attendant who was hired in 2015 on a starting wage of CAD 25.13 (USD 18) per hour would be earning CAD 63.07 (USD 46) per hour in 2025. Service directors are paid CAD $73.03 (USD 53) per hour on narrowbody aircraft and CAD 87.01 (USD 63) per hour on widebody aircraft in 2025.
Hourly rate for Air Canada cabin crew (per Air Canada) with five years of service
Rouge flight attendant
CAD 41.39 (USD 30)
Mainline flight attendant
CAD 63.07 (USD 46)
Service director
Up to CAD 87.01 (USD 63)
With Rouge flights, flight attendants are paid CAD41.39 with five years of service. According to Air Canada, a service director working for Air Canada earned an average of CAD 80,000 (USD 58,000) in 2024, excluding incentive rewards and Health and Pension benefits. The airline also says that half of Air Canada’s mainline flight attendants earned over CAD 54,000 (USD 39,000) in 2024, excluding the aforementioned rewards and benefits. The highest-paid flight attendants earned in excess of CAD 70,000 (USD 50,600). For reference, the average US flight attendant earns USD 67,800 to USD 86,400 per year.
Canada Offers Much Cheaper Fares Than The US
Photo: Robert Buchel | Shutterstock
Canadian airfares are also typically much cheaper than their counterparts in the United States. The average US domestic airfare is around USD 397 in 2025. In the EU and UK, many competing low-cost carriers, shorter distances, and dense populations help reduce the average airfare to around USD 105.
The US Bureau of Transportation Statistics provides estimates for the average domestic fares from major airports. From Los Angeles, the average fare is USD 408, and USD 417 from NY-JFK. From NY-LaGuardia, the average fare is USD 337. Orlando is notable for being a large airport with comparatively low-cost airfares at USD 294.
Country/region
Estimated 2025 average domestic/regional European airfares (USD)
Air Canada has a mainline fleet of 216 aircraft, while its low-cost Air Canada Rouge subsidiary has a fleet of 37 aircraft. Air Canada Rouge’s fleet is now completely made up of Airbus A320 family narrowbody aircraft. Air Canada’s narrowbody fleet is composed of Airbus and Boeing narrowbody aircraft with 37 A220s, 39 Airbus A320 family, and 47 Boeing 737 aircraft.
Air Canada is the only Canadian airline to have purchased the Canadian-built (formerly Bombardier CSeries) A220 airliner. Its widebody fleet consists of eight remaining aging Boeing 767s, 25 Boeing 777s, and 40 Boeing 787s (inc. eight 787-8s and 32 787-9s). It has another 18 Boeing 787-10s on order.
Overall, the flight attendants’ strikes are not likely to impact Air Canada much. When it comes to long-haul flights, Air Canada dominates with a fleet of 73 widebody aircraft, while WestJet only has a fleet of seven Dreamliners. The pay rise for flight attendants should make the airline more attractive to people to work for, although it’s unclear how much it will impact the airline’s fares.
WestJet is Air Canada’s primary competition and already generally offers lower airfares on average. WestJet is a low-cost airline that is sometimes described as having the lowest-priced flights in Canada. This makes it appealing to budget-conscious travelers, while Air Canada is a full-service national airline offering a higher standard of service, but also at a premium.
While Air Canada is the flag carrier of Canada, it is not publicly owned, although the Government of Canada does have an approximately 6.4% share in the airline as a result of a pandemic bailout. Air Canada was previously owned by the government, but became fully privatized in 1989. The airline’s shares are publicly traded. While the private equity firm, Onex Corp, has a 75% share of WestJet, a group of international airlines that includes Delta Air Lines is acquiring the remaining 25% share.
Transatlantic Boeing 737 MAX flights from the US and Canada to Europe are growing. Given the relative newness of the model, it’d be odd if they weren’t. According to the latest Cirium Diio data, the MAX has an average of 24 daily transatlantic flights in September, up from 19 daily in the same month last year. Air Canada, Icelandair, United Airlines, and WestJet will operate them.
Schedule analysis reveals that the Boeing narrowbody will operate 3.3% of all transatlantic passenger services. One in every 30 takeoffs will be on this type. Perhaps more surprisingly, the MAX will only operate a fifth of all such single-aisle flights. The A321LR and A321XLR—including those operated by Aer Lingus—are collectively much ahead (1,558 departures; 46.1%).
The 10 Longest Transatlantic MAX Flights In September
The entries include multiple never-before-served routes. They include WestJet between Halifax and Barcelona, which is Spain’s second most populous city, a tourist hotspot, and an important cruise location. Timed at up to 7h 45m back to Canada, with flights having headwinds, it is the joint-third-longest service aboard the single-aisle equipment. It is also the longest passenger route operated by a Canadian carrier from Halifax.
Icelandair (daily MAX 8 until September 13; it coexists with the A321LR, which will then operate exclusively again)
7h 45m=
Barcelona back to Halifax
WestJet. A brand-new route, which started in June 2025 (four weekly MAX 8; the last Canada-bound flight of the season is on September 29)
7h 45m=
Keflavik to Vancouver
Icelandair (four weekly MAX 8)
7h 45m=
Dublin back to Toronto
WestJet (daily MAX 8, but two daily flights on September 1, which is a hangover from the peak summer)
7h 40m
Edinburgh back to Toronto
WestJet (daily MAX 8, but two daily flights on September 1, which is a hangover from the peak summer)
7h 35m
Funchal back to Newark
United. A brand-new route, which began in June 2025 (three weekly MAX 8; the last US-bound departure of the season being on September 24)
7h 21m
Amsterdam back to Halifax
WestJet. A new route for the airline, which started in May 2025 (six weekly MAX 8, but down to four weekly later in the month). More on this link later in the article
Air Canada. A brand-new route, which started in June 2025 (three weekly MAX 8; the last Canada-bound departure of the season is on September 6)
* Even if once. They will vary at other times
** They will vary at other times. Other equipment is excluded. Each route’s full MAX operation is mentioned, even if not all services have the maximum time
Keflavik To Orlando Is Number One
With a block time of up to 8h 00m, Keflavik to Orlando ranks first by this measure. However, if the great circle distance is considered instead, it is ‘only’ the third-longest airport pair, behind the company’s services to Seattle and Vancouver. However, there’s not much in it.
The year-round route to Orlando is now entirely on the MAX 8. The 757-200, which served it for many years, was last flown in August, with the A321LR down to operate next summer. Unlike earlier this year, when Icelandair’s flights remained in Orlando overnight to maximize European connectivity, things are different now.
In September, 160-seat MAX 8s leave Iceland at 16:45 and get to Florida at 20:45. Returning, they depart just 70 minutes later at 21:55, and arrive back at 09:15. This connects to a growing range of flights to European cities that leave Iceland after 10:00. However, this middle-of-the-morning departure bank from Keflavik to other European airports is a summer setup. As such, Icelandair is returning to its overnight stay in Florida later this year.
WestJet’s Amsterdam Service Relies On Its KLM Partnership
After a two-year absence, WestJet returned to Amsterdam in May. While it used the 787-9 Calgary between 2021 and 2023, things are extremely different now. This time, it operates from Halifax aboard the 174-seat MAX 8. The Nova Scotia link was flown by KLM and Martinair in the 1990s.
WestJet serves Amsterdam a surprisingly high six times weekly during most of the summer, falling to a low of four weekly at times. This high frequency is influenced by WestJet’s codeshare agreement with KLM (they codeshare to multiple places via Schiphol, especially in France, Portugal, and Italy), together with the Canadian carrier’s (limited) connections over Halifax.
GE Aerospace named two new propulsion systems that will be offered as a turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine to power the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)-proposed Next Generation Responsive Strike (NextRS) demonstrator aircraft. The newly designated GE81 High-Mach Gas Turbine…
Steve covers military aviation, missiles and space for the Aviation Week Network, based in Washington DC.
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On August 1st, a British Airways Airbus A380 flying from Johannesburg OR Tambo International in South Africa to London Heathrow was forced to return to its point of origin due to reports of smoke in the cabin. It was later revealed that the problem even affected the jet’s crew rest area.
The issue forced the double-decker quadjet to return to Johannesburg. Because it didn’t perform a fuel dump, the landing was fairly heavy.
Air Canada
Star Alliance
