Air Canada Secures Tentative Labour Deal Ahead of Busy Travel Season

Image: Air Canada Airbus A320 (Photo Credit: Air Canada)
Image: Air Canada Airbus A320 (Photo Credit: Air Canada)
Natasha Lair
by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 7:45 AM ET, Mon May 25, 2026

Air Canada has reached a tentative collective agreement with Unifor representing approximately 6,000 employees working in customer-facing and operational support roles across the airline.

The current collective agreement with Air Canada expired on Feb. 28, 2026.

The agreement covers contact centre staff, customer relations employees, concierge teams, airport in-terminal workers and customer journey management employees.

In a statement released Thursday, Air Canada said the tentative deal recognizes “the contributions and professionalism” of its frontline airport and customer service agents while also providing “a framework for the future growth of the airline.”

Unifor Air Canada airport and call centre agents reach tentative agreement with airline

Unifor Air Canada airport and call centre agents reach tentative agreement with airline (Photo Credit: Unifor)

"During flight delays and cancellations, they play a central role in recovery efforts by managing rebooking, connections, accommodations, compensation, and customer correspondence—often serving as the first point of contact when plans go wrong and helping restore trust after service failures," Unifor said.

Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed and will remain confidential until union members complete a ratification vote, which is expected over the next month. The agreement must also be approved by Air Canada’s Board of Directors.

The announcement removes the immediate possibility of labour disruption involving thousands of frontline employees during a busy travel period for the carrier.

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