Pilots to vote on deal that’ll keep Air Canada flights in the sky

More than 5,200 Air Canada pilots will begin voting Tuesday on a new four-year tentative agreement reached earlier this month with the country’s flagship airline.

The pending deal between Air Canada and the Air Line Pilots Association, the union representing the pilots, averted a strike when it was agreed to over the Sept. 14-15 weekend.

The pact was the culmination of more than a year of labour negotiations and it kept some 670 daily Air Canada flights in the air, many of which fly into and out of Pearson Airport in Mississauga.

The ratification vote begins on Tuesday and concludes on Oct. 10, the pilots said in an online update.

Terms of the tentative pact remain confidential pending acceptance of the deal by both union members and Air Canada.

During the lengthy negotiations, the pilots’ union contended Air Canada has continued to see record profits while asking its pilots to accept below-market salaries.

Prior to the tentative agreement being struck, Air Canada and numerous business groups had called on the federal government to intervene in the dispute, noting “swift action” was needed to avoid a work stoppage that would have had significant negative effects.

— With files from The Canadian Press