As Air Canada flight attendants cast their votes on a new contract, the mood among workers remains anything but celebratory. Following a turbulent series of strikes in mid-August 2025 that left travelers stranded and the Canadian travel industry reeling, the issues at the heart of the dispute—unpaid work and the fight for fair compensation—have yet to be fully resolved. The tentative agreement, hammered out in the early hours of August 19 after intense mediation between Air Canada and the union representing flight attendants, is now in the hands of the workers, who will vote on its ratification through September 6.
Henly Larden, Vice President of CUPE 4094 and an Air Canada flight attendant herself, has become one of the most prominent voices in this ongoing struggle. In an open letter to passengers as voting began, Larden wrote, “The past weeks will go down in history for airline workers in Canada… 10,000 flight attendants stood up to Canada’s federal government and one of the largest companies in the country to end unpaid work.” Yet, she quickly tempered any optimism, saying, “We still have not crossed the finish line in our goal of ending unpaid work. This remains an emotional time for flight attendants.”
According to Travelweek, the strike action on August 16, 17, and 18 threw the Canadian travel industry into chaos. Travel advisors described an avalanche of emails from anxious clients desperate to know if their flights would be cancelled. “My emails are nonstop with clients asking if their flights will be cancelled and I can’t tell them – I have no idea,” one advisor shared. The disruption wasn’t limited to Canada; travelers around the world found themselves stranded, scrambling for alternatives as the strike dragged on.
As the dust settled, the mediated agreement was reached, but not before federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code on August 16, ordering binding arbitration to force the flight attendants back to work. Defiantly, the workers ignored the order and remained on strike until a deal was finally struck. The government’s intervention did not end there. In response to mounting complaints, Minister Hajdu announced a federal probe into allegations of unpaid work across the airline sector, signaling that the issue has gained national attention and may have far-reaching consequences.
Despite the tentative agreement, which is seen as a step forward, many flight attendants remain dissatisfied. Larden made it clear: “What is obvious to me, and to many of my colleagues, is that our struggle to be recognized is not over. Unpaid work is not over. We have made important progress, but our job is far from done.” She emphasized that the union will not be returning to picket lines this year but will continue to push those in power—particularly the government of Canada—for meaningful change. Public rallies and political lobbying are already in the works as workers seek to maintain momentum and keep their issues in the public eye.
The fallout from the strike has not been contained to the labor dispute itself. In the wake of the chaos, a flurry of class action lawsuits has emerged, targeting not only airlines but also the union. The most prominent of these was filed on August 21 in Quebec Superior Court against Air Transat. The suit accuses the airline of inflating airfares during the strike, seeking to represent “all persons worldwide who booked a flight with Air Transat since August 14, 2025 and were charged an inflated or excessive price as compared to the prices historically charged by Air Transat for similar routes during the same period,” as reported by CTV News.
One plaintiff’s story, highlighted by both CTV News and The National Post, illustrates the human cost of the disruption. Stranded in Barcelona with her husband after the strike left them unable to return to Montreal, she faced a grim choice: pay nearly double for new tickets or risk running out of essential medication. Their original roundtrip Air Canada tickets from Montreal to Barcelona via Rome had cost $2,784.62. Forced to book last-minute one-way tickets with Air Transat, the couple paid $5,355.52. “We didn’t have enough medication to extend our stay in Spain during the strike,” the plaintiff recounted. The lawsuit aims to hold Air Transat accountable for what many see as opportunistic price gouging at a time of crisis.
The legal battles don’t end there. The National Post reports that two more class action lawsuits have been filed in Quebec Superior Court—one against Air Canada itself and another against CUPE, the union representing the flight attendants. The details of these suits have not yet been made public, but their existence underscores the widespread dissatisfaction and the complex web of accountability that has emerged from the strike’s aftermath.
For Air Canada’s flight attendants, the core issues remain unchanged. They are seeking not only fair wages but also recognition as the trained safety professionals they are. “It was never our intention to inconvenience our passengers,” Larden wrote in her open letter. “All we wanted was fair wages and to be recognized as the safety professionals we are trained to be.” This sentiment resonates with many workers who feel that, despite some progress, their efforts to end unpaid work have not been fully addressed in the tentative agreement.
The strike and its aftermath have shone a spotlight on the often-invisible labor of flight attendants. Their role extends far beyond serving drinks and snacks; they are responsible for the safety and security of passengers in the air and on the ground. The fight for recognition and fair compensation is not just about paychecks—it’s about respect for the essential work they do every day.
As the vote on the tentative contract continues, all eyes are on Air Canada’s flight attendants. Will they accept the deal, or will frustration boil over into renewed action? The answer will have significant implications not only for the workers themselves but for the entire Canadian aviation industry. With government probes underway and lawsuits piling up, the struggle for fair treatment in the skies is far from over.
For now, the ballots are being cast, the legal wheels are turning, and the voices of flight attendants—once confined to the cabins of Canada’s largest airline—are echoing far beyond the airport gates.
