Air Canada, flight attendants enter final day before strike deadline

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It’s the final day before a potential work stoppage could ground all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights.

More than 10,000 flight attendants are poised to walk off the job around 1 a.m. ET on Saturday, followed by a company-imposed lockout if the two sides can’t reach an eleventh-hour deal.

Air Canada said it was expecting to cancel around 500 flights previously scheduled to take off today in anticipation of the work stoppage, with a full stoppage looming Saturday.

It said it would notify customers of cancellations through email and text message, adding it recommends against going to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking and their flight still shows as operating.

Customers whose flights are cancelled will be offered a full refund and Air Canada says it is also allowing customers to change their travel plans without a fee if they choose to do so.

The Air Canada component of CUPE says it is eager to avoid a work stoppage by sitting down to negotiate, while the airline has requested the federal government step in and direct the parties to enter binding arbitration.