Why Canadian Airline Strikes Shut Down the Whole System — and How Other Countries Avoid It

Why Canadian airline strikes shut down the whole system — and how other countries avoid it

Canada's approach to airline strikes pits the need for reliable air travel against the constitutionally protected right to strike. Other countries show there is a workable middle ground.

Why Canadian Airline Strikes Shut Down the Whole System — and How Other Countries Avoid It

By John Gradek, McGill University Over the August long weekend, roughly 250,000 WestJet passengers had their flights cancelled when the airline’s flight attendants walked out over pay, including compensation for ground duties performed before takeoff and after landing. Less than a year earlier, an Air Canada strike grounded the country’s largest carrier for about 60 hours. The two disputes were different in their details, but both exposed how qu…