A demonstration by more than a dozen members of the union representing Air Canada's flight attendants prompted the airline to shut down a press conference on Thursday as tensions between the two sides continue to mount ahead of a weekend work stoppage.
Dozens of flights were expected to be cancelled by the end of Thursday and up to 500 more Friday, Air Canada executive vice-president and chief operations officer Mark Nasr told reporters during the briefing at a hotel near Toronto Pearson International Airport.
It was cut short after around 20 minutes as union members dressed in flight attendant uniforms and CUPE T-shirts disrupted the event multiple times.
At one point, union members marched in front of the stage where Air Canada executives were seated to answer reporters' questions, holding signs with messages such as "unpaid work won't fly" and "poverty wages = unCanadian." Most then stood to the side of the stage in silence holding their signs, while a few remained in front, directly facing media cameras.
The demonstration prompted Christophe Hennebelle, Air Canada's vice-president of corporate communications, to address the flight attendants directly.
"I'm asking CUPE, one last time the question: 'Are you preventing us from continuing with a press conference?'" he asked, before being met with silence.
"Unfortunately, we will have to interrupt this press conference here. I am really sorry about the questions we have not been able to answer."
It's the latest sign that Air Canada and its flight attendants' union remain far apart in contract talks, with workers expected to strike Saturday around 1 a.m. as the airline also plans to lock them out.
The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents around 10,000 flight attendants, has said its main sticking points revolve around wages that have been outpaced by inflation during the course of its previous 10-year contract, along with unpaid labour when planes aren't in the air.
Its members voted 99.7 per cent in favour of a strike mandate last week. Talks later resumed before the two sides reached an impasse Tuesday.
Earlier in the press conference, Air Canada officials said they have been preparing contingency plans for weeks ahead of a potential work stoppage. The airline began a gradual suspension of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge operations Thursday, with a full pause planned to begin early Saturday morning if it doesn't reach a last-minute deal with the union.
"This approach will help limit the strike's impact by allowing as many customers as possible to complete their journeys," said Nasr.
"Importantly, it will also help facilitate an orderly restart, which, under the best circumstances, will take a full week to complete."
He said customers whose flights are cancelled will be offered a full refund. Air Canada has also implemented a goodwill policy, which allows customers to change their travel plans without a fee if they choose to do so.
Nasr said Air Canada will offer alternative travel arrangements on other airlines, including competitors, "wherever possible."
"However, unfortunately, this being the peak of the summer travel season, our ability to rebook customers on other airlines will be very limited," he cautioned.
Air Canada has requested government-directed arbitration, however Ottawa has not indicated whether it will intervene in the dispute.
Earlier this week, the union rejected the airline's proposal to enter binding arbitration, saying it prefers to negotiate a deal that its members can then vote on.
Natasha Stea, president of the union's Montreal-based members, said the flight attendants feel they are "being ignored" by the company. She said members decided to demonstrate at the press conference in order "to be heard."
"We just want to get a fair and equitable contract for our flight attendants who are below minimum wage," said Stea.
"We want to be seen, we want to be heard, we want to be valued for the work that we do that makes Air Canada rake in $3.5 billion in the last two years."
The union said Wednesday evening that the airline had yet to return to the bargaining table after issuing its lockout notice.
Air Canada disputed that, saying it remains available to continue negotiations.
"We never left the table," Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Air Canada executive vice-president and chief human resources officer, told reporters.
"We have made offers and responded to every offer CUPE has made, including the last one. We are still available to bargain at any time on the condition that the negotiation has substance."
— With files from Natasha Baldin in Toronto
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2025.
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Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press
