Information Supporting Air Canada Cabin Crew Regarding the Renewal of the Collective Bargaining Agreement
On February 17, 2026, the federal arbitrator issued their decision outlining the new wages for cabin crew. As agreed with CUPE, this resolves the outstanding item of wages and finalizes our new, four-year collective agreement with the union.
The Arbitrator upheld the tentative agreement and Minutes of Settlement, with the exception of the wage rates offered for Rouge, which were increased by 1% on the first year.
The tentative agreement with CUPE along with the Minutes of Settlement were reached on Aug. 19. Minutes of Settlement are a legally binding written agreement that resolves issues in all kinds of disputes, including collective bargaining. Here, for example, Air Canada and CUPE agreed that if the tentative agreement was not ratified by cabin crew, the wage increases would be referred to arbitration.
Wage Calculator
The one remaining issue addressed at arbitration was wages. All other items of the tentative agreement, such as ground pay, improvements to benefits, pensions and scheduling rules were concluded, and have already been implemented or will soon be. This calculator shows wage and pay levels under the terms of the finalized agreement.
Ground pay
The tentative agreement includes compensation for work you perform on the ground. Effective August 19, 2025, the following ground pay was implemented and will be paid retroactive to that date, as needed.
Ground pay rate increase
% of hourly wage rate
Starting immediately
April 1, 2026
April 1, 2027
April 1, 2028
50%
60%
65%
70%
Ground pay by airline
Air Canada
Air Transat
Flair
Porter
WestJet
50% of hourly rate (increasing to 70%), for 60
min. on narrow-body and 70 min. on wide-body
50% of hourly rate for 60 min. for each flight
boarded
2025: 30-35 min.
2028: 42-49 min.
30 min.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in the tentative agreement?
The four-year tentative agreement mutually agreed upon by Air Canada and CUPE includes items such as the following.
Ground pay
Ground pay represents over 7% in additional flight attendant wages for the first year, on average; this percentage can be lower or higher depending on the number of flight legs that you fly. It will also go higher than 7% as the percentage of payment increases over the term of the new collective agreement.
Benefit and pension improvements
Vacation:
3:15 hours effective May 1, 2026
Per diems:
Increased by the corresponding percentage increase to wages per year of the term of the
agreement for Canada/USA flights. International flights will continue to follow the
current methodology.
Wage increases (excluding ground pay):
April 1, 2025 – 12.0% for Mainline step 1 to 9 and all Rouge steps; 8.0% for all other
Mainline steps
April 1, 2026 – 3.0%
April 1, 2027 – 2.5%
April 1, 2028 – 2.75%
What is the total increase in take-home pay in the tentative
agreement?
Including increases in hourly wages and ground pay, the total increase in take-home pay will be shown below.
These percentages do not include yearly rate progression with years of service. To understand the real progression in your take-home pay, including rate progression, please refer to the wage calculator.
|
2025 |
2025-2028, cumulative |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Increase in hourly wages |
Total approx. wage increase, including ground pay |
Increase in hourly wages |
Total approx. wage increase, including ground pay |
|
|
Air Canada Flight Attendants, year 1-5, Rouge Flight Attendants |
12% |
20% |
21.5% |
36% |
|
Air Canada Flight Attendants, year 6+, Service Directors |
8% |
15% |
17.2% |
28% |
Why are we going to mediation/arbitration?
Air Canada and CUPE contemplated that, in the event the mutually agreed upon tentative agreement did not ratify, the wage portion would be referred to mediation and, if a deal was still not reached, to arbitration.
On Friday, September 12, 2025, CUPE asked to dispense with the mediation process and have the wage component proceed directly to arbitration. While remaining committed to the entirety of the process, Air Canada, in a spirit of cooperation, has agreed to CUPE’s request. This will settle the matter of wages through an independent third party andwill provide cabin crew with wage increases and their retro pay, dating back to April 2025, as soon as possible.
What would have happened if the tentative agreement had not
been reached?
Once the labour disruption had been called off, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB)-mandated arbitration process would have begun.
When will we receive our pay increases?
Any wage increase that is determined during mediation or arbitration will be retroactive to April 1, 2025. That amount will be paid in a lump sum, retroactively, at the end of the first full pay cycle following a mediated agreement or receipt of an arbitrated award.
Do you still have questions?