Air Canada cancels Las Vegas flights after attendants defy work order

Flights continue to be canceled at Harry Reid International Airport as a result of a flight attendant strike that began Thursday against Air Canada, the airport’s website shows.

The 10,000 flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees have defied a back-to-work order issued by the Canadian government authorities, resulting in the cancellation of more than 2,300 flights affecting an estimated 500,000 passengers.

Some flight attendants have said they would rather be arrested and jailed than go back to work.

Some of those passengers have been stranded in Las Vegas, where Air Canada has four scheduled daily flights to three destinations.

A Reid International official said in an email that more than half of Air Canada’s flights have been canceled since Thursday.

On Monday’s schedule, three flights, one each to Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, have been canceled. One Toronto flight is listed for departure late Monday.

Air Canada and subsidiary Air Canada Rouge offer daily flights from Las Vegas to those three destinations. Discount airline Westjet competes with Air Canada on the Vancouver and Toronto routes and Porter Airlines flies routes to Montreal.

In the first six months of 2025, Air Canada has carried 144,590 passengers to and from Reid International, an 11.9 percent decrease from the first six months of 2024.

On Sunday, the Canada Industrial Relations Board ruled the flight attendants’ walkout was illegal and ordered them back to work as negotiations between management and the union continued. On Monday, the flight attendants defied the order and remain on strike.

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