Air Canada Pilots Ratify New Collective Agreement

DALLAS — Today, Air Canada (AC) announced that its 5,200+ pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), had voted to approve a new collective agreement between the airline and the group.

The four-year agreement, retroactive to September 30, 2023, applies to more than 5,200 AC and Air Canada Rouge (RV) pilots. It keeps AC pilots as the highest-paid in the Canadian commercial air transport market while giving the firm the stability and flexibility to pursue its expansion strategy.

The pilots' union confirmed Thursday that AC pilots, who nearly went on strike last month, had accepted a new collective agreement with the airline by 67% of members, ensuring pilots will have a contract until 2027 that includes "significant" wage increases and "improvements to quality of life."

The agreement's contents have not been made public. Still, according to Canadian news outlet Global News, AC pilots would earn a cumulative pay raise of nearly 41.7% over the aforementioned four years, with the first with an average 26% increase, followed by 4% increments every year until 2026. ALPA said the new deal will provide Air Canada pilots with an additional US$1.9 billion in value over the same period.

"We are very pleased this new collective agreement has been approved by our pilot group. The agreement is mutually beneficial and it will keep our pilots the best compensated in Canada and provide the work-life balance improvements they were seeking. At the same time, the agreement gives our company flexibility and creates a framework for future growth of the airline and its network. We look forward to working with our pilots under this renewed partnership," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive of Air Canada.