Air Canada flight attendants hold a silent protest at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

By The Canadian Press

negotiations continue

Some Nanaimo flights cancelled ahead of Air Canada, flight attendants strike deadline

Aug 15, 2025 | 9:56 AM

More than 10,000 flight attendants are poised to walk off the job around 10 p.m. on Friday, followed by a company-imposed lockout if the two sides can’t reach an eleventh-hour deal.

Air Canada warned it is cancelling around 500 flights previously scheduled to take off today in anticipation of the work stoppage, with a full stoppage looming Saturday, Aug. 16.

It said it would notify customers of cancellations through email and text message, adding it recommends against going to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking and their flight still shows as operating.

As of 10 a.m. on Friday morning, the only cancellations listed for Nanaimo Airport were the 10:30 p.m. arrival from Toronto and the subsequent 11:30 p.m. return leg.

The Air Canada component of CUPE says it is eager to avoid a work stoppage by sitting down to negotiate, while the airline has requested the federal government step in and direct the parties to enter binding arbitration.

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CUPE released new polling by Abacus Data on Friday, suggesting that 59 per cent of Canadians believe the federal government should respect flight attendants’ right to take job action, even if it causes travel disruptions.

The weighted survey of 1,500 respondents, conducted Thursday and Friday, says 88 per cent of Canadians believe flight attendants should be paid for all work-related duties including boarding, delays and safety checks — a key sticking point in negotiations that has led to the impasse.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2025.