Hundreds of flights have been grounded after Air Canada’s unionised flight attendants went on strike after talks over an increase in wages with the country’s largest carrier stalled.“We are now officially on strike,” the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants, said in a social media post just before 01:00 ET [05:00 GMT].The airline said on Saturday it had suspended all flights for Air Canada and its budget arm Air Canada Rouge due to the strike, which is the first since 1985.“About 130,000 customers will be impacted each day that the strike continues,” Air Canada said in a statement.“Air Canada is strongly advising affected customers not to go to the airport unless they have a confirmed ticket on an airline other than Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge,” the airline added.Flights for regional operators Air Canada Jazz and PAL Airlines would continue to operate. A flight board is seen at the Montreal-Trudeau International Airport in Quebec, Canada [File: AFP]Air Canada had announced its latest wage offer to flight attendants in a statement on Thursday, specifying that under the terms, a senior flight attendant would, on average, make CAN$87,000 ($65,000) per year by 2027.CUPE has, however, described the airline’s offers as “below inflation (and) below market value”.The union has also rejected requests from the federal government and Air Canada to resolve outstanding issues through independent arbitration.In addition to wage increases, the union has said it also wants to address uncompensated ground work, including during the boarding process. Advertisement Rafael Gom …
