Air Canada will gradually restart operations after reaching an agreement with the union for 10,000 flight attendants to end a strike that disrupted travel plans for hundreds of thousands of travelers.

Flight attendants went on strike after Air Canada gave wage increases to certain employees, including pilots with a 26% rise in 2024, a mostly male-filed role according to CUPE. In contrast, the union said that flight attendants, who are mainly women, received a lower 8% increase in 2025.

The Air Canada strike is affecting approximately 100,000 travelers, as it is Canada's largest airline. So the decision on Aug. 16 by flight attendants to walk off the job is of great concern to Canada's government.