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Most Air Canada domestic, U.S. flights expected to take off Thursday

Air Canada expects most of its North American routes to be back up and running today after resuming operations Tuesday following the conclusion of a strike by its flight attendants.
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Air Canada travellers load their luggage at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Dorval, Que., on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Air Canada expects most of its North American routes to be back up and running today after resuming operations Tuesday following the conclusion of a strike by its flight attendants.

An online dashboard tracking Air Canada's service resumption said last night that 97 per cent of domestic flights were expected to operate over the next 24 hours, along with 99 per cent of U.S. flights.

But the airline's ramp-up of international flights was moving more slowly, with 76 per cent of planned flights expected to operate.

Air Canada chief operations officer Mark Nasr said earlier this week that the restart process would take longer for international routes because the airline brought crews home before the strike, meaning staff weren't yet in position overseas when it ended.

It is expected to take up to 10 days for service to return to normal levels across Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge.

On Wednesday, the company said it was adopting a policy to reimburse certain customers if they booked alternative transportation in lieu of cancelled flights between Aug. 15 and Aug. 23.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2025.

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Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press