In a piece of good news for the 110,000 people flying Air Canada every day, the airline announced Sunday morning it has reached a tentative agreement with its pilots.
The deadline to reach an agreement was Sunday, Sept. 15. If it had not been reached, the pilots could have gone on strike or the airline could have locked out its pilots, which would have resulted in Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge completely shutting down operations by mid-week.
Following the tentative, four-year agreement with Air Line Pilots Association, which represents more than 5,200 pilots, both Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge will operate as normal, the airline said.
“The new agreement recognizes the contributions and professionalism of Air Canada’s pilot group, while providing a framework for the future growth of the airline,” a statement from Air Canada reads.
“Terms of the new agreement will remain confidential pending a ratification vote by the membership, expected to be completed over the next month, and approval by the Air Canada Board of Directors.”
Air Canada added that customers who used its labour disruption goodwill policy to change their flights originally scheduled between Sept. 15 and 23 to another date before Nov. 30 can change their booking back to their original flight in the same cabin at no cost, so long as there is space available.
Customers can get more information at aircanada.com/action.