Air Canada ALPA pilots to picket Calgary route cuts

Air Canada pilots with the Air Line Pilot Association (ALPA) will be holding an informational picket Saturday in response to routes set to be slashed by the airline at the end of October.

“Say no to route cancellations. Your presence makes all the difference,” a post on X reads.

The rally comes as the airline announced in August that it would no longer offer non-stop flights from Calgary to Ottawa, Halifax, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Cancun, or Frankfurt, due to an industry-wide pilot shortage.

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• Air Canada slashing routes out of Calgary in face of ongoing pilot shortage

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Air Canada says it will offer nearly 10,000 seats weekly from Calgary this winter, and direct service will continue to London-Heathrow from Calgary, as well as other destinations throughout Canada and the U.S.

At the time of the announcement in August, an Air Canada spokesperson said no layoffs were expected.

This also follows an informational picket at the Toronto Pearson Aiport at the end of September, when pilots came together to call for better wages and working conditions.

The picket is set to start at 3 p.m. at the Calgary Mariott In-Terminal Hotel by the airport and will be followed by an event at the Pilot Unity Building.

More information can be found online.

-With files from The Canadian Press