More than 130,000 passengers were unable to fly due to the strike of Air Canada flight attendants
Photo: Air Canada / EPA / SARAH YENESEL

More than 10,000 flight attendants of the Canadian airline Air Canada on Saturday, August 16, went on strike canceling hundreds of flights and disrupting the plans of about 130,000 passengers at the height of the holiday season. About writes Bloomberg.

"We have officially gone on strike," said the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which includes airline employees.

Air Canada has confirmed the suspension of all operations of its mainline and budget subsidiary Rouge.

Earlier, the airline warned of a possible closure of access to work for flight attendants after 1:30 am on Saturday. The company has already canceled more than 600 flights in preparation for the strike.

"Air Canada sincerely regrets the impact of the strike on passengers," the airline said in a statement.

The Canadian government did not intervene before the strike began, although previous labor conflicts during Justin Trudeau's premiership were resolved peacefully.

TD Cowen analyst Tom Fitzgerald noted that a day of strike action could cost the airline up to 75 million Canadian dollars ($54 million) in lost profits.

Cargo transportation will also be affected, but Air Canada Express regional flights operated by third-party companies will remain unaffected.

The main cause of the conflict was remuneration. Air Canada offered to increase total compensation, including bonuses and benefits, by 25% in the first year and 38% over four years, as well as pay for time spent on the ground.

Currently, flight attendants are paid only when the plane is in motion, and not for preparing or boarding passengers.

CUPE noted that even with the airline's offer, wages would increase by only 17.2% over four years.