Air Canada said early on Sunday it had reached a tentative agreement with its pilots union over a new four-year collective agreement, in a last-minute deal that will avert a near-term strike or lockout.

Before the tentative agreement was reached, Canada’s largest airline had been preparing to progressively cancel flights over three days and to completely shut down its operations as early as 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT) on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, which operate nearly 670 flights per day carrying about 110,000 passengers as well as freight, will now continue flying as normal, the airline said.

Air Canada said in a statement the terms of its new agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) representing more than 5,200 pilots will remain confidential, pending a ratification vote by its members expected to be completed over the next month.

The ALPA said in a separate statement that its leaders had approved the tentative agreement with Air Canada for member ratification.

The two sides have been negotiating a new contract for the past 15 months, with the pilots demanding wage rates that would narrow the pay gap with their counterparts at major U.S. carriers such as United Airlines.

Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon said in a post on X that travel disruptions for Canadians were prevented thanks to the hard work of the parties and federal mediators.

Ready for your career to take flight? If you love to travel and you’re looking for new opportunities, then you could apply at Air Canada. When you get hired, you get access to cheap flights right away – not just for you, but for your family, too! Some roles, like Cabin Service and Cleaning Attendant and Customer Sales and Service Agent, don’t require a ton of experience. Others require more specialized skills and experience. For some roles, you can choose whether you want a full-time or part-time opportunity.

But whether you’re cleaning planes or flying them, you’ll get a ton of benefits and perks.

“Air Canada staff love to travel, and we have one of the most generous employee travel programs in the industry – you and your immediate family members will enjoy special rates on airfare from day one,” reads a job post. Employees also get health and dental benefits.

Read more ……

Air Canada announced that it invested in Heart Aerospace, an electric airplane startup, and it is ordering 30 units of a new version of its first electric aircraft.

Battery technology has improved enough that short-range commercial planes are starting to make sense.

Several startups are working on viable electric aircraft, and some are starting to get the attention of major airlines.

Heart Aerospace is one of those startups.

We reported on the Sweden-based startup last year when it made a splash by unveiling the ES-19, a 19-seat electric aircraft meant for short flights. The ES-19 was meant to have up to 250 miles (400 km) of range, but the range is commercially viable for short-range flights with 19 passengers.

When unveiling the aircraft last year, Heart Aerospace also announced that it secured investments from important partners: United Airlines Ventures (UAV), Breakthrough Energy Ventures, which is Bill Gates’s investment vehicle, and Mesa Airlines.

At the time, United and Mesa announced that they have placed an order for 100 ES-19 electric planes and that they had an option for 100 more.

Read more by Fred Lambert

MONTREAL, July 6 (Reuters) – Air Canada (AC.TO) said on Wednesday it will not allow animals in the baggage hold until Sept. 12 due to “longer than usual” delays at airports, as carriers and airports wrestle with complaints over lost luggage and long lines.

Airlines in Europe, the United States and Canada are cancelling and delaying flights due to staffing shortages while traffic surges faster than expected after slumping during the pandemic.

Read more by Allison Lampert

Air Canada (AC.TO) on Tuesday said it is adding capacity to meet a rebound in spring traffic and sees ticket sales and business travel improving after reporting a larger-than-expected quarterly loss, sending shares down more than 5%.

Carriers are benefiting from a broader revival in travel demand as COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions ease, but face pressures from higher fuel costs. read more

Chief Executive Michael Rousseau said the Canadian government is reviewing the use of mask and vaccine mandates for airline travel.

Read more ….

Air Canada has announced it will be increasing flights between the West Kootenay Regional Airport and Vancouver starting next week.

An additional day of flights will be added to the airline’s schedule beginning Feb. 8. That means that flights will be available six days a week.

Air Canada Express flies 78-passenger Dash 8-Q400 aircraft out of WKRA.

“Another day of flights with Air Canada is exciting news for West Kootenay travellers looking for the best options for their travel needs,” says West Kootenay Regional Airport Manager, Maciej Habrych. “As the regional airport, we are very happy to be one step closer to returning service to what it was before the pandemic.”

Air Canada resumed flights to the West Kootenay Regional Airport in June of 2021 after suspending them early in the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has gradually been increasing flights since that time.

Read more by Betsy Kline

Air Canada has introduced a new health and safety policy to further protect employees and customers that makes it mandatory for all employees of the airline to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and to report their vaccination status as of October 30, 2021.

In addition, the airline is making full vaccination a condition of employment for any individual hired by the company.

Since the beginning of the pandemic Air Canada has been a leader in the adoption of science-based measures in response to COVID-19. This has included the airline being among the first to require pre-boarding temperature screening of customers, obligatory onboard mask-wearing policies and the use of testing.

The decision to require all employees of Air Canada mainline, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Vacations to be fully vaccinated and report their vaccination status is another initiative to ensure the safety and well-being of all employees and customers.

Read more by Özgür Töre

The Canadian government will soon require all air travelers and passengers on interprovincial trains to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said Friday that includes all commercial air travelers, passengers on trains between provinces and cruise ship passengers.

“As soon as possible in the Fall and no later than the end of October, the Government of Canada will require employees in the federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors to be vaccinated. The vaccination requirement will also extend to certain travelers. This includes all commercial air travelers,” his office said in a statement.

The government is also requiring vaccinations for all federal public servants in the country.

The Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic Leblanc noted the federal government is the largest employer in the country.

Leblanc said it is the government’s duty to guarantee the safety of their employees and those who they serve.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to call an election on Sunday for Sept. 20.

Read more ……..

Representatives from Canada’s airlines, airports and tourism sector have called on the government to quickly develop a national strategy to reopen the country to travel.

The appeal comes amid a ramp-up of the country’s Covid-19 vaccination roll-out, and the industry is eager to begin building back its business.

Canada has had some of the harshest and longest-running coronavirus mitigation measures in place, which have so far hampered any kind of meaningful recovery of the air transport infrastructure in the vast country.

Read more By Pilar Wolfsteller

Air Canada posted a staggering $1.16 billion loss in the fourth quarter of 2020, a result that caps off what the company’s chief executive called the bleakest year in aviation history.

Despite the losses, Air Canada president and CEO Calin Rovinescu said on a call with analysts Friday morning that he was encouraged by the progress of recent talks with the federal government about a bailout package for the sector, which have been ongoing for months without a resolution.

“While there is no assurance at this stage that we will arrive at a definitive agreement on sector support, I am more optimistic on this front for the first time,” Rovinescu said.

The discussions have ramped up over the last several weeks, reaching a pace that Rovinescu called a negotiation. Any deal would include a resolution on passenger refunds, a plan for returning service to regional markets and financial support for the aerospace sector, Rovinescu said.

Read more By Jon Victor The Canadian Press ….