Air Canada flight attendants hold a silent protest at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

The ripple effects of Air Canada’s ongoing labour dispute with its flight attendants are being felt industry wide, with travel advisors scrambling to salvage their clients’ travel plans.

Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants are scheduled to walk off the job tomorrow, Aug. 16 at 12:58 a.m. ET unless a deal can be reached before then. Air Canada issued a 72-hour lockout notice to their union, CUPE, on Aug. 13, after flight attendants rejected the airline’s arbitration proposal a day earlier.

In preparation of Saturday’s fleet-wide grounding, Air Canada cancelled dozens of flights yesterday, with an additional 500 today. It’s said that more than 130,000 customers are being impacted daily.

Travelweek asked travel agents from across the country how they’re navigating the turbulence ahead of Saturday’s full stoppage. With cancellations already underway, agents are working overtime to calm worried clients, rebook flights and deal with the uncertainty hanging over upcoming travel plans.

Valerie Murphy of Direct Travel in Waterloo, ON, says that about 20 of her clients are due to return home in the next few days and the anxiety is palpable. “They are all very stressed and we are still waiting to see if their flights will be cancelled,” she says. Murphy has been spending hours on hold with Air Canada, often without concrete answers. “My emails are nonstop with clients asking if their flights will be cancelled and I can’t tell them – I have no idea.” She says there’s not enough clarity from the airline, and like many in the industry, she’s hoping for a quick settlement.

For Marianne Vogel of Just for You Travel & Consulting in Dundas, ON, the current situation reinforces longstanding frustrations with the airline. While she doesn’t currently have clients booked on Air Canada until October, Vogel says the carrier has a history of being difficult to work with, especially when it comes to refunds and schedule changes. “They change flight times at will and don’t think how their clients feel about it,” she says, adding that she’s seen the airline abandon routes after pushing out competitors.

Joanne Saab of Curated Travel (TravelOnly) in Ancaster, ON, has a cruise group of about 15 cabins sailing in the Mediterranean next week, with many flying with Air Canada on Aug. 18. She tells Travelweek that her clients are particularly stressed over the uncertainty of it all. “While they have the ability to cancel their flights pre-emptively for a flight credit, the cost of trying to rebook with another airline on such short notice is extremely expensive,” she says. “I have looked at alternative options for rebooking and discussed the pros and cons of rebooking versus waiting for more information and updates from the airline as the negotiations continue. As a travel advisor, I’m here to take my clients’ calls and walk them through their options at this time, touching base daily as things progress.”

In Calgary, Gary Rams of Gary Rams Travel, associated with Crowfoot Travel Solutions, says only a handful of clients are affected. Still, he’s keeping close tabs on developments. “The most important thing to do is to let the clients know you will be there for them and keep updating and touching base,” says Rams. He’s been looking into alternative flights and checking insurance coverage, but like others, he feels the airline’s communication has been lacking. “I think Air Canada thought the government would step in, and I think they are running late. Did I expect something different? Not really,” he adds.

Not all agents feel they’re being left in the dark by Air Canada. Lou-Anne Fradsham, Owner of Uniglobe Bon Voyage Travel, tells Travelweek that she’s found the agents at Air Canada’s call centre to be really helpful and that the airline has been proactive in sending out updates to agents and customers. This has been a tremendous help, as she has more than 50 clients affected, including a group of 30 booked to travel to Antigua this Sunday with Air Canada Vacations. Because the airline hasn’t officially cancelled the flight, clients face a choice between a future travel credit now or waiting in hopes of a full refund if the flight is eventually cancelled. “It’s hard to find space for 30 passengers to Antigua for a Sunday with another airline – so we are waiting,” she says.

Fradsham, however, is handling it all in stride: “Although it’s been busy, I’ve been in this situation before, from strikes to 9/11 to volcanoes. So, it’s nothing new for us agents in the industry.”

Source: Travelweek