TORONTO (AP) — Air Canada said it will gradually restart operations after reaching an agreement early on Tuesday with the union for 10,000 flight attendants to end a strike that disrupted the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of travelers.

Flight attendants went on strike after Air Canada gave wage increases to certain employees, including pilots with a 26% rise in 2024, a mostly male-filed role according to CUPE. In contrast, the union said that flight attendants, who are mainly women, received a lower 8% increase in 2025.

A rare show of defiance by Air Canada flight attendants in the face of a back-to-work order from the government has proven the ineffectiveness of the section of Canada's labour code that allows a mini