News / Air Canada avoids damaging strike with four-year pilot agreement

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 Air Canada has narrowly avoided a damaging strike, following a “tentative” four-year agreement with more than 5,200 pilots. 

The airline, which had warned of likely disruption to cargo services, said it had made a collective agreement with the Air Line Pilots’ Association (ALPA), for four years.

The agreement needs to be ratified by union members, expected to be completed over the next month, and approved by Air Canada’s board of directors. 

If ratified, the agreement will see an “additional $1.9bn of value” for pilots over the duration of the agreement. 

It will be effective for four years, backdated to 30 September 2023, and includes clauses such as that all Air Canada aircraft will be operated with no fewer than two Air Canada pilots on the flight deck; restrictions on wet-leasing; a four-year cumulative rate increase of some 41%; and a larger incentive plan for pilots for the carrier’s ebitda target. 

The pay rate increases amount to an average 26% increase from 30 September 2023, and an additional 4% each September after that. 

“While it has been an exceptionally long road to this agreement, the consistent engagement and unified determination of our pilots has been the catalyst for achieving this contract,” said first officer Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada ALPA Master Executive Council.  

“After several consecutive weeks of intense round-the-clock negotiations, progress was made on several key issues, including compensation, retirement and work rules. This agreement, if ratified by the pilot group, would officially put an end to our outdated and stale, decade-old, ten-year framework.” 

Air Canada said: “The new agreement recognises the contributions and professionalism of Air Canada’s pilot group, while providing a framework for the future growth of the airline.” 

The airline told customers: “Customers who used the airline’s labour disruption goodwill policy to change their flights originally scheduled from between 15 and 23 September 2024 to another date before 30 November can change their booking back to their original flight in the same cabin at no cost, providing there is space available.”