Air Canada is canceling hundreds of flights after the company's flight attendants went on strike. It is expected to create travel chaos among summer vacationers as the company flies 130,000 passengers daily.
Canadian union CUPE warned on Wednesday about the 72-hour strike over the weekend after negotiations did not move forward. The union demands not only higher wages but also that flight attendants be compensated for the time they normally do not get paid. Rafael Gomez, head of the University of Toronto's center for industrial relations, says the union highlights an important issue.
Passengers, who are not familiar with common industry practice, might think: "'I'm waiting to board the plane and there's a flight attendant helping me", but technically they don't get paid for that work.
Air Canada flies to and from Arlanda a few times a week. Sunday's flight to Toronto has so far not been affected.
