Details of the new agreement remain limited. On its website, CUPE highlighted that it marks a significant change for the sector. However, an August 14 news release from Air Canada offered insight into its proposal: a 38% increase in total compensation over four years, including higher hourly rates—up to CAD 94 (USD 67) in year one—and annual salaries averaging CAD 87,000 (USD 63,000) for senior staff by 2027.
Additional benefits include improvements to health coverage and pension plans, increased paid vacation time, and measures aimed at improving work-life balance. Air Canada notes that it is the only Canadian airline providing access to a defined benefit pension plan for flight attendants and claims pay rates will exceed those at WestJet by up to CAD 17 (USD 12) per hour.
Before this new deal, pay structures were complex and varied by position and experience level. A mainline flight attendant with five years’ service earned CAD 63.07 (USD 46) per hour; service directors on widebody aircraft earned up to CAD 87.01 (USD 63). Half of mainline attendants made more than CAD 54,000 (USD 39,000) in base pay during 2024; top earners exceeded CAD 70,000 (USD 50,600). For comparison purposes in North America, U.S.-based flight attendants earned between USD 67,800 and USD 86,400 annually.
Airfare prices in Canada are generally lower than those in the United States but higher than averages found in Australia or Europe. In recent estimates from Statistics Canada and OAG cited within industry sources like Statista/IATA and Australian Aviation as well as the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, domestic Canadian fares averaged around USD 190—a figure still below the average U.S. domestic fare of USD 397 but above Australia's average fare of USD130.
Air Canada's fleet includes both narrowbody Airbus A220s—unique among Canadian carriers—and a range of widebody jets such as Boeing’s Dreamliner series (CBC News). As of now it operates over two hundred mainline aircraft plus thirty-seven under its Rouge subsidiary brand.
In terms of market share for domestic air travel within Canada during 2023 according to CBC News: Air Canada held just over one-third at 34%, followed closely by WestJet with 30%. Flair Airlines accounted for nearly 10%, Porter had 9%, with remaining airlines making up 17%. This duopoly has prompted recommendations from authorities on ways to boost competition among airlines in the country.
Despite disruptions caused by strikes or rising labor costs associated with new agreements—including higher wages—the impact on Air Canada's long-term position appears minimal due largely to its dominance in international routes through an extensive widebody fleet compared with rivals such as WestJet.
WestJet remains Air Canada's chief competitor domestically due partly to offering lower average fares as a low-cost carrier option while maintaining private ownership via Onex Corp., which holds seventy-five percent equity; an additional stake is being acquired by an alliance including Delta Air Lines.
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