Air Canada has suspended all operations after greater than 10,000 of its flight attendants walked off the job early Saturday, plunging peak summer time journey into chaos and leaving passengers stranded all over the world.The strike started shortly earlier than 1 am EDT after a deadline to achieve a brand new contract handed, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) spokesman Hugh Pouliot confirmed, as per information company AP. The airline introduced quickly after that it could halt flights totally, strongly advising clients “not to go to the airport” and expressing “deep regret” over the disruption, reported information company AFP.The full shutdown is affecting Air Canada’s full schedule of about 700 each day flights, impacting roughly 130,000 travellers per day, together with an estimated 25,000 Canadians overseas. By Friday evening, the airline had already cancelled 623 flights affecting greater than 100,000 passengers, based on AFP.Contract talks break downNegotiations between Air Canada and CUPE have been ongoing for about eight months however stay deadlocked over pay and compensation for unpaid floor duties. The union has refused to enter government-directed arbitration, which might have eliminated its proper to strike, saying it needs to discount immediately.“We’re here to bargain a deal, not to go on strike,” Pouliot mentioned in an e mail cited by AP, including that Air Canada had not countered the union’s final two proposals since Tuesday.Air Canada’s newest provide included a 38% improve in whole compensation over 4 years, which it mentioned would make its flight attendants the perfect paid in Canada. A Thursday assertion from the airline detailed that, underneath the proposal, a senior flight attendant would earn about C$87,000 by 2027.The union has rejected the provide, calling it “below inflation and below market value”. CUPE can also be looking for pay for floor duties such as boarding, that are at the moment uncompensated, a typical observe within the airline business however one the union says is unfair.Rafael Gomez, director of the University of Toronto’s Centre for Industrial Relations, was quoted by AFP as saying that whereas unpaid pre-flight work is frequent globally, CUPE has efficiently framed it as a difficulty of equity within the public eye. “That’s a very good issue to highlight,” he mentioned, noting that any positive aspects right here may affect different carriers.Travellers left in limboWith planes grounded, travellers have been left scrambling. Montreal resident Alex Laroche, 21, mentioned he and his girlfriend had saved since Christmas for an $8,000 European trip — now in danger. “At this point, it’s just a waiting game,” Laroche mentioned, as per AP. He initially resented the strike however modified his thoughts after studying concerning the wage dispute, saying, “Their wage is barely livable.”Air Canada says passengers can request full refunds by way of its web site or app, and it’ll try and rebook travellers on different carriers the place potential. However, the airline warns that different flights are already full as a consequence of summer time demand.Canada’s federal jobs minister Patty Hajdu urged each side to “work harder” to resolve the dispute, calling it “unacceptable that such little progress has been made”. The Business Council of Canada warned earlier than the strike that halting Air Canada’s passenger and cargo services may trigger “immediate and extensive harm” to the economic system.Industry specialists anticipate the stoppage to be short-lived. “This is peak season,” Gomez mentioned. “The airline does not want to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue… They’re almost playing chicken with the flight attendants”.