Air Canada has been canceling all flights ahead of a possible flight attendant strike that threatens to be a massive disruption for thousands of travelers with ripple effects in the U.S.
In anticipation of a strike set for 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Canada's largest carrier first started canceling flights Thursday afternoon.
As of time of publication, ABC News confirmed that the airline has canceled 200 total flights since Aug. 9. A representative for the company told ABC News the carrier had canceled 27 additional flights for Friday and 6 additional flights for Saturday.
The sticking point causing the travel chaos comes from salary negotiations between Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees flight attendants union.
The flight attendants union has said the carrier's wages are below inflation, market value and the federal minimum wage. Air Canada has offered a 17.2% wage increase over four years, which the union said would make flight attendant earnings less than that of current competitors in Canada.
Full-time junior Air Canada flight attendants currently earn $1,952 a month before taxes, the union said, but with Air Canada's "first-year catch-up increase of 8%," those earnings could go up to $2,108 per month.
"Meanwhile, a worker earning federal minimum wage at $17.75 per hour would earn $2,840.00 per month pre-taxes," the union said in an update on Tuesday.
An Air Canada representative said the carrier will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates throughout the day. The company said it still hopes to strike a last-minute deal with CUPE, but if an agreement is not reached, a full disruption of Air Canada service could begin at 9:58 p.m. PT on Friday.
Please see my statement on the latest development between CUPE Flight Attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada:
— Patty Hajdu (@PattyHajdu) August 14, 2025
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Voici ma déclaration sur les derniers développements entre les agents de bord du SCFP d'Air Canada et Air Canada : pic.twitter.com/Ov2bE7PIO9
Air Canada is expecting a full shutdown on Saturday morning, which would affect 130,000 customers per day while the shutdown continues.
If a complete shutdown happens, it will take one week for Air Canada to return to full operations.
Air Canada also said passengers whose flights are canceled can request a refund and be booked on another airline.
The Toronto Pearson International Airport and Vancouver International Airport teams said they are preparing for the possible strike by adding more terminal staff to assist passengers who have been affected.
Toronto is working with Air Canada on an aircraft parking plan, as well as adding more resources to keep operations running smoothly amid the disruption.
Air Canada passengers flying through YVR are advised to check the status of their flight or access information about rebooking before coming to the airport.
If a flight has been impacted, or there are changes to an itinerary, travelers will be notified via email or text message, according to Air Canada. Passengers can also check the flight status online.
ABC News' Sam Sweeney and Ayesha Ali contributed to this report.
