# Is the Air Canada strike going to impact your summer vacation?



## canabiz (Apr 4, 2009)

We are going to South Korea in late July and we already secured our tickets via Aeroplan redemption.

My understanding is Air Canada (AC) customer service agents and call centre staff will go on strike on June 13. Obviously, many things can happen between June 13 and late July but if the strike does last that long, it will be a pretty huge inconvenience for us, everything from checked-in bags to longer wait at the gate and all points in between.

Are you making alternative travel plans? Do you see this as a long and drawn-out strike? Will AC the company lose more customers after all the dust settles or will the AC employees be cast in an unfavourable light, considering Canada Post employees are also on strike while others are simply struggling to get by everyday?


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## alphatrader2000 (Aug 18, 2010)

In my experience, Air Canada service is lowest of all air carriers in Canada. They are bound to die again. I hate their service, they have made me miss flights few times. I cant find anyone liking their service. I avoid booking them. Long time ago unions were made to protect workers, now they just find a way to destroy companies...


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

+1, make it lowest in the developed world

I heard the UAE ordered a crapload of new jets, maybe they'll serve people for their money.


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

Vacation?

...what's that?


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## olivaw (Nov 21, 2010)

It won't impact my wife and me. We avoid Air Canada - too many disappointing experiences with cranky employees, long lineups and inefficient systems. Most Air Canada employees are good and the company does most things well. They just have a little further to go before we'll consider them to be anything other than the airline of last resort.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

I know most Canadians love to hate Air Canada, but I'll tell you this.
Recently I have been flying a lot in the US and it is pathetic how low the service standards of the US airlines have fallen.
This includes United, American, Continental, Delta and US Air.
I have flown most of these recently and Air Canada is the best among this whole sorry lot.
Something like the saying that among the blind, the one-eyed man is the King.

The US airlines' flight attendents, baggage handlers, customer service and even the pilots get paid s*it, and maybe that's part of the problem.

But given the choice among these, pick Air Canada and you'll do better.
Within Canada, of course, I'd pick West Jet over AC any day.


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## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

I've always liked Air Canada.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

I have travelled all over the world on various air lines ,Air Canada is the only one I use now as I have had many nightmares with others.BA lost my wheelchair and tossed me on a chair in middle of Heathrow.As a special needs traveler I prefer Air Canada over anyone else.


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## travelgeek (Nov 29, 2009)

I still have to book with AC in order to use my eUpgrades, but I'm not flying for leisure purposes in the next month, so it is not likely going to have any impact..... though for work it might.

As far as AC is concerned, I still prefer to fly them over the majority of the other airlines. As mentioned, you only need to fly some of the US airlines to see how good AC is compared to them.


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## travelgeek (Nov 29, 2009)

they're officially on strike now http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loc...-strike-talks-110613/20110614/?hub=OttawaHome


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

My daughter got back from California on a 6:30am AC flight and her luggage has not made it yet .She took an AA flight from LAX to Las Vegas and her luggage is probably still in Vegas.I am suppose to go to Vegas next week but will see what happened in a couple days .


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## travelgeek (Nov 29, 2009)

just got this e-mail of things that are affected by the strike:



> Dear **********,
> 
> We are very disappointed that an agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) leadership has not been reached, leading call centre and airport customer service agents in Canada to take strike action.
> 
> ...


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

Apparently they are resuming full regular service with just the managers running the show. Expect long delays.

On a side note, airlines collected 3.4 billion in bag fees in 2010: (one reason why I hate United!) 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Airlines-collected-34B-in-bag-apf-441373201.html?x=0


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

I didn't know AC workers were part of the CAW.
I'd thought they were a separate union.


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## Sampson (Apr 3, 2009)

HaroldCrump said:


> I didn't know AC workers were part of the CAW.
> I'd thought they were a separate union.


I'm surprised too.

Maybe if this economic situation continues, and Wisconsin has their way, this period will be later referred to as the death of the unions.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

Sampson said:


> Maybe if this economic situation continues, and Wisconsin has their way, this period will be later referred to as the death of the unions.


I'd say it's about time.
These folks have held the economy hostage for too long, wasted too much money and caused enough chaos already.

They believe it is working class vs. employers.
In reality, it is one working class vs. another.

What they gain, the capitalists don't lose....the other workers do.


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## Sampson (Apr 3, 2009)

I just watched an interview with a local union rep (in Calgary) and there is something I always find amusing (I hope I don't offend any union people that might be hanging out here).

They all seem to be cut from a single mode, from the way they speak, to the way the dress etc - I won't describe this, and you can make your own call, but where ever they are from, and whom every they represent, union reps are union reps. They must have some sort of standardized training for these people.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

As expected, it boils down to pensions (or the lack thereof).
It always does.

Surely the CAW realizes what they are asking for is nuts.
But since when has it stopped them 
They will go ahead and bankrupt the company (once again), just as they did with GM and Chystler.

I think defined benefit pensions are going the way of the Oozulum bird, and these folks are simply resisting the inevitable and causing a lot of chaos and wasting billions of productive $$ in the meantime.



> The main stumbling block centers on the airline's proposal to switch to a defined-contribution plan for new employees, from the current defined-benefit plan, which provides retirees with a guaranteed payout. The company also wants to reduce pensions to new retirees by an average of 40%, said a CAW spokeswoman.
> 
> Montreal-based Air Canada has a pension deficit of 2.1 billion Canadian dollars, or US$2.2 billion, and must make hefty payments in coming years to address that shortfall. The airline has 26,000 active employees in its pension plan, and provides pensions for 29,000 retired workers.


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## travelgeek (Nov 29, 2009)

> *Ottawa ready to legislate end to Air Canada strike*
> 
> The federal government is set to introduce legislation aimed at ending the Air Canada strike if the airline and its customer service and sales staff can't reach a deal.
> 
> ...


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/06/14/air-canada-strike.html


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

travelgeek said:


> Ottawa ready to legislate end to Air Canada strike


I totally support the legislation.
What AC and CP unions are asking for is nuts (surprise, surprise).
This unions vs. business tug-of-war is no longer about humane working conditions, equality, fair wages, etc. like it was in the early decades of the 20th century.

The unions have now replaced the robber barons of the medieval times and the bourgeoisie of the industrial age.

The rest of us are the new proletariat.

_The history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggles._ 
- Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto, Page 1, Line 1


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## w0nger (Mar 15, 2010)

the government should stay out... let capitalism flourish.... should AC fall, someone will rise to the occasion...


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

w0nger said:


> the government should stay out... let capitalism flourish.... should AC fall, someone will rise to the occasion...


Where was that logic when GM and Chrystler came begging with cap in hand?


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Rather hypocritical stance by Air Canada regarding DB pensions considering:

_"Ken Lewenza, CAW national president, said it also "reeked of hypocrisy" for Air Canada's chief executive, Calin Rovinescu, to look for concessions from the airline's employees when his own defined-benefit program is set to pay him out $351,000 a year at the age of 65."_

Also worthy of noting, like a lot of DB pension plans, the deficit in the Air Canada plan would greatly reduced if interest rates rose 1%.

Perhaps employees wouldn't be opposed to changes, with the provision that any pension surpluses in the future remain within the fund, and future profits are directed towards the pension plan, rather than awarded to executives as bonuses or paid out to shareholders as dividends.

GM Canadian auto workers and retirees gave up a lot of concessions in pay, benefits, and pensions. Their reward for assisting the company was to be the only group NOT awarded bonuses recently, and the reductions remain in force until the next collective bargaining agreement.

And they will wonder why the employees are discontented..........


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## travelgeek (Nov 29, 2009)

> *Air Canada workers back on the job Friday *
> 
> Just hours after the federal government introduced back-to-work legislation in Ottawa, Air Canada and the Canadian Autoworkers Union reached a tentative deal.
> 
> ...


http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1010028--air-canada-workers-back-on-the-job-friday?bn=1


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## w0nger (Mar 15, 2010)

“Do I feel good passing on a risk to a new generation? I'm not happy about that. At the end of the day, bargaining is tough and you have to make tough decisions,” Lewenza added.



Translation --- "I lost"


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