Air Canada Strike Halts New Group Bookings

A strike by Air Canada's call center and airport check-in and gate agents in Canada means the airline will not be accepting new group bookings, it announced yesterday. Existing group bookings will be honored.

While the airline claims it will continue to operate its full flight schedule, there are procedural changes fliers must be made aware of, notably that they are now required to check in online or via mobile device before arriving at the airport. 

The strike affects personnel at the following airports: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto Pearson, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and, St. John's NL. Airports in the United States and other international destinations are not affected by the strike at this time. The airline says all of its regional airlines, including Jazz, and their airport check-in services are operational as well. 

For existing group bookings, assistance with name lists, sports or musical equipment lists, and special services requests can be made by emailing [email protected]. These emails must include: locator and group name; flight number, departure date, and routing; a description of required action with corresponding group list; and a contact number.

Planners or agents can refer to the Group Bookings—Contingency document in the Contingency section of the Agent Reference Tab for more information. 

Participants using the nine affected airports are advised that long lines at self-service check-in and baggage-tagging kiosks are likely. Air Canada suggests passengers avoid checking in luggage if possible. 

Air Canada has “implemented a contingency plan involving more than 1,700 managers to assist at airports and call centers,” says Duncan Dee, the airline’s executive vice president and COO. “We will continue to operate our full schedule and all bookings will be honored. We regret the inconvenience this situation may cause passengers and we advise those traveling with Air Canada in the coming days to consult our website and use our online self-service tools to check-in and get flight information they need prior to arriving at the airport.”