Air Canada Strike: work stoppage creates journey chaos at San Francisco International Airport and past

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Canada’s authorities compelled Air Canada and its hanging flight attendants again to work and into arbitration Saturday after a piece stoppage stranded greater than 100,000 vacationers world wide in the course of the peak summer time journey season.

On Saturday afternoon, the journey plans of hundreds had been disrupted.

“It’s tough. I’ve been dealing with this since 5 o’clock in the morning,” stated Hakim Gulaid.

It’s not how Gulaid from Emeryville needed to spend his Saturday, making an attempt to rebook flights for his household at SFO.

“My kids live in Canada,” Gulaid stated.

RELATED: Government forces Air Canada and flight attendants union into arbitration

Air Canada’s flight attendants went on strike Saturday, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded world wide. At least a dozen Air Canada flights had been cancelled at SFO.

Neil Ortleib was making an attempt to get residence to Toronto. He was in a position to re-book on one other airline, however he is acquired an extended wait.

“It leaves me taking a red eye to Pittsburgh, sleep in the airport, get into Toronto tomorrow, which should have been tonight,” Ortleib stated.

“We’re here because Air Canada pays us junior flight attendants so little. We had to open food banks in our union offices,” stated Wesley Lesosky, president of Air Canada’s flight attendants union.

The flight attendant’s union reaching an deadlock with airline administration over wages and compensation of their subsequent contract in consequence, the airline needed to cancel most of its scheduled flights.

RELATED: Air Canada begins canceling flights forward of labor stoppage that would affect a whole lot of hundreds

Air Canada is advising clients to not come to the airport except they’ve a confirmed ticket on one other airline. Instead, the airline stated it would contact clients about their journey choices. Some people could not wait, as a result of they could not get although by cellphone.

“What I should have done is not listen — just turn up here they would have found something for me,” stated Esther Fortin.

Air Canada says clients whose flights had been canceled will probably be eligible for a full refund by way of the airline’s web site or cellular app.

In the meantime, Gulaid rebooked a flight on Delta to Syracuse, New York and plans to drive his children three hours north to Ottawa.

“Hopefully by the grace of God, we’ll be in Ottawa, Canada Monday, for the kids to attend school,” Gulaid stated.