Canadian Airlines Face Widespread Labor Disputes and Strike Risks in 2026

December 19, 2025 at 08:29 AM•2 min read

Major Canadian carriers, including Air Canada and WestJet, face widespread critical contract negotiations in 2026, raising the potential for significant

Key Points

1Major Canadian airlines, including Air Canada, WestJet, and Porter, face widespread contract negotiations throughout 2026, increasing the risk of flight disruptions.
2The current spike in labor disputes stems from the expiration of long-term collective agreements signed during the mid-2010s, prompting unions to seek compensation for pandemic impacts and high inflation.
3Aviation experts advise travelers to check union contract expiry dates before booking flights, noting that widespread cancellations may not materialize until the summer travel season.
4Repeated reliance on the Canadian federal government to intervene in disputes may be shifting employer expectations and prolonging future bargaining processes.

The Canadian aviation sector is bracing for a period of intense labor volatility throughout 2026, as nearly all major carriers—Air Canada, WestJet, and Porter Airlines—enter critical contract negotiations with various employee groups. This follows a string of recent high-profile disputes, including a near-strike by Air Transat pilots and previous grounding events involving Air Canada flight attendants and WestJet mechanics. Industry experts warn that while a full shutdown is not guaranteed, the sheer volume of expiring collective agreements significantly heightens the risk of widespread travel disruption for passengers.

A primary driver of this renewed labor unrest is the expiration of unusually long-term contracts, some signed a decade ago during the mid-2010s when airlines focused heavily on financial survivability. Labor experts note that unions are now aggressively seeking to recoup losses and address issues—such as the dramatic spike in the cost of living and the impact of the global pandemic—that were not factored into those older agreements. This clash between management expectations, often accustomed to minimal concessions, and raised worker expectations following recent union victories across various sectors, creates a challenging bargaining environment.

Specific negotiations slated for 2026 include WestJet flight attendants, whose contract expires December 31, and Air Canada ground crew, baggage agents, and mechanics. Porter Airlines is also seeking first-ever collective agreements with its pilots, dispatchers, and flight attendants. The threat of Canadian federal government intervention, historically used to order striking airline workers back to work, remains a factor. However, legal experts suggest that repeated reliance on this power may inadvertently encourage employers to delay serious negotiation, potentially leading to more difficult disputes in the future. Passengers are advised to check contract expiry dates before booking and consider travel insurance that specifically covers labor-related cancellations, though major disruptions may not materialize until the summer travel season.