Air Canada, the 2nd-busiest Canadian operator at Las Vegas airport, braces for strike

Canada’s flagship airline, reeling from declining passenger traffic to and from the United States, is bracing for a strike by its flight attendants Thursday.

Air Canada, the second-busiest Canadian operator at Harry Reid International Airport, announced that it is suspending flights on Thursday, issuing a lockout notice to allow for an orderly shutdown, according to the company’s website.

Air Canada and subsidiary Air Canada Rouge flights will gradually be suspended over the next 72 hours, the airline said, and customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified about how they can obtain refunds. The airline said customers without confirmed flights should not go to the airport.

Air Canada offers daily flights between Las Vegas and Vancouver, British Columbia; Toronto; and Montreal.

Discount airline Westjet competes with Air Canada on the Vancouver and Toronto routes, while Porter Airlines flies routes to Montreal.

In the first six months of 2025, Air Canada carried 144,590 passengers to and from Reid International, down 11.9 percent from the same period last year, according to airport data.

A Reid representative said late Wednesday that the airport works with the local Air Canada team to minimize impacts to operations.

“We encourage Air Canada passengers to proactively check their flight details with the airline for the most up-to-date information,” an airport official said in an email.

Air Canada management and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, representing 10,000 flight attendants, have been negotiating for eight months for a contract but have failed to reach an agreement.

The airline has sought government-directed arbitration to resolve differences.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.