REGINA — Activity has quickly returned to normal at the nation’s airports now that the flight attendants’ labour disruption at Air Canada has come to what looks like a tentative settlement.
It had been a tense and at times confusing week for air travellers trying to figure out whether their Air Canada flights were still on. The federal government had stepped in last Saturday to order the dispute to binding arbitration, only for the union representing flight attendants to reject it and stay on strike. That prompted even more Air Canada flight cancellations this week.
Finally, this past week, the airline and the union agreed to a tentative deal to end the week of labour disruption, but not before disrupting travel for Canadians from coast to coast, including many from Saskatchewan.
It had even impacted the talks on canola tariffs between federal and provincial officials in Saskatoon. Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald was scheduled to be there this past week, but instead had to attend virtually. Premier Scott Moe confirmed to reporters that the reason why had been because of the Air Canada flight cancellations.
The labour dispute impacted Saskatchewan’s two major airports in Saskatoon and Regina, both of which rely on Air Canada for direct flights to Toronto and Vancouver.
Regina Airport Authority CEO James Bogusz told reporters there had been an almost total cancellation of all Air Canada mainline flights, including all of the service into Toronto plus large jet service into Vancouver.
“This was disrupting over 500 passengers departing a day,” said Bogusz.
But he noted there had been a “significant shift to the positive” with respect to Air Canada as of Friday. When he spoke to reporters at Regina International Airport that morning, several Air Canada passengers were lining up at the check-in counters looking forward to their flights scheduled for that day.
“Thankfully, with the labour issues now behind us, we've seen a complete restoration of Air Canada services in the last 24 hours,” Bogusz said. He said Air Canada had confirmed they were almost 100 per cent back up and running for Canadian-wide flights, and around 95-plus percent of international services.
Bogusz said that as of Thursday, Air Canada was back operating on a regular schedule once again at the airport. From Regina, Air Canada operates three large jets for direct service to Toronto, plus another large jet direct into Vancouver. There is also Air Canada Jazz service that Bogusz said has been operating throughout the labour disruption.
“We think the worst is behind us,” said Bogusz, but he reminded passengers to check with Air Canada if there is any change to their flight status.
This is not the first time there has been a labour dispute impacting airlines at YQR, and likely not the last. Bogusz told reporters he had worked in the industry about 25 years and has seen a wide range of issues that can cause a disruption to a flight, whether it be labour disruptions or weather events. He also pointed to the severe disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“But at the end of the day, what it's all about is communication to the passengers. And WestJet last year had the strike, for example, at the lockout with the AMEs (aircraft maintenance engineers). This year, we have, of course, the issue with Air Canada and the flight attendants. But at the end of the day, the airlines do their best to recover. And what we've seen is an almost immediate rebound of Air Canada in under two days to see mainline service basically back up and running.”
The Air Canada deal now goes to a vote by flight attendants, and there is still uncertainty as to whether the union membership will vote in favor of the tentative deal. But with flights having resumed as of Friday, things looked far more positive and Bogusz admitted to breathing a sigh of relief.
“Air Canada is a major carrier for our country. It serves over 35 per cent of the capacity from Regina. It was very disruptive. So we're certainly feeling relief locally. I know many of our partners in the visitor economy — this could be Tourism Regina, Economic Development Regina, and others are relieved as well.”
Bogusz acknowledged to reporters that costs to Regina Airport Authority were significant in terms of passengers as well as accessory revenue.
“It was actually quite substantive. About 25 per cent of our daily seats were not in our market. But again, I'm not going to quantify that today,” Bogusz said.
“I would just say that that's the least of my concerns as CEO. I want to focus on the customers, making sure they get to where they need to go, and to get the answers that they need.”
Bogusz was asked if this dispute highlighted the need for more options, not just at Regina airport but nationwide, so people have more options to get where they want to go when a situation like this arises.
“So we have to keep in mind that the market is wide open. Carriers can operate into any airport in Canada as long as they have Canadian ownership,” Bogusz said.
“We have had airlines like Flair Airlines, WestJet, Air Canada all operate from Regina. But it's a commercial decision for a carrier. They have to make money in a particular market to continue. Right now, we've been very successful in attracting a third airline, which is United Airlines, offering service to a hub that is even larger than Toronto. We're talking about Denver International. Over 80 million passengers use that hub each year. We're actively marketing to airlines like Porter. But keep in mind that regardless of the airline opportunities that we market to, it's a commercial decision from an airline to determine where they operate in Canada.
“Our doors are wide open. We encourage, we incentivize, and we market to airlines regularly to come to the Queen City, and we hope for more in the future.”
Bogusz had previously spoken about their interest in attracting Porter Airlines for a direct route to Ottawa. When asked for an update on those efforts, Bogusz described the talks as ongoing.
“Ultimately, Porter’s been offered a very generous incentive package,” Bogusz said. “We’d love them to come to the Queen City, but it’s going to be up to them if they want to say yes.”
Regina Ward 5 councillor and Deputy Mayor Sarah Turnbull expressed relief that the labour dispute was over, pointing to how “life-disruptive” it was for passengers.
“We are so relieved that the labour dispute has been resolved for now and that things are pretty much back to normal … and that people are able to go to and from where they need to go, which is excellent for our tourism and our economic development,” said Turnbull.
She noted Regina does “a lot of business and exchanges and tourism with places all over the world. We’ve got some new flights. We’re really proud of the flight to Denver, which brings even more back and forth. So it’s a big deal.”
Turnbull expressed particular relief that the dispute was resolved given the potential disruption that could have faced people hoping to attend or participate in events in Regina such as Shake the Lake. The Baseball Canada Men’s Nationals also happened in the city in the past few days — one of several major events planned for Regina this year that expect to attract visitors and participants flying by air.
“So we have a lot going on, and so we are attracting a lot of sporting events. So the travel back and forth is hugely important, and the airport is part of that,” said Turnbull.
She also saw the potential that comes from attracting events to the city.
“If we have more attraction and more things here, we may get more airlines interested in more flights as a result of supply and demand. So it’s kind of a growth feeds growth. So if we keep building and celebrating and becoming more of a tourist destination or that, the more flights will come because people need to get here. And so it’s an exciting time for Regina.”
