Air Canada cuts more than 600 flight attendant jobs
Air Canada is closing its flight attendant bases in Halifax and Winnipeg, and making big job cuts in Vancouver.
Roughly 200 jobs will be cut in Halifax, 145 in Winnipeg and 300 in Vancouver as the airline aims to eliminate 2,000 positions in the face of higher fuel costs.
The news emerged during a meeting in Toronto on Wednesday between Air Canada and CUPE.
"We are shocked and we are in a state of disbelief," said Lisa Vivian Anthony, president of CUPE Local 4090 in Halifax. "Our base has been in operation in Halifax for 32 years, so this is essentially the end of an era for us."
A CUPE representative said members will soon be getting packages outlining their options.
Some of the flight attendants losing their jobs may be able to transfer to positions in Toronto or Montreal, CBC News was told.
'Well, Air Canada service takes a hit yet again ... now it will be just a single jelly bean as an in-flight treat instead of a little bag of peanuts ... can't wait.' --Dr. Wayne Add your comment
Bernie Schwartz, a Winnipeg-based flight attendant for 29 years, said the closure of the flight attendant hub there means she will have to either move to the new cities or commute on standby to those cities, something she described as a challenge.
Schwartz said moving isn't an option for her family, but it might be for single flight attendants.
"They may consider moving — but I've always said, people who are based in Winnipeg, we're not based here because of the wonderful flying. The flying out of Winnipeg has never been fantastic. We're based here because our lives are here, our families are here," she said.
She added there have been rumours of closing the Winnipeg hub for years, but now that it appears to be reality she and others are "devastated."
Air Canada announced last month that most of the 2,000 job cuts would take effect in November and be spread across the country.
According to ACE Aviation Holding's annual information documents, Air Canada employed, on average, the equivalent of 6,000 full-time flight attendants in the fourth quarter of 2007.
ACTS makes cuts
The flight attendant reductions come just days after aircraft maintenance company ACTS, formerly Air Canada Technical Services, reduced its workforce.
ACTS laid off 250 full-time employees and 400 other workers, many of whom were contract staff.
An ACTS spokesperson told Canadian Press that many airlines, including Air Canada, are deferring maintenance work because of the financial pain being caused in the industry by rapidly rising fuel costs.
An Air Canada spokeswoman said about 180 Air Canada employees seconded to ACTS could be affected by the cutback.
ACE Aviation Holdings Inc., the parent firm of Air Canada, spun off a majority stake in ACTS in June 2007 to two U.S.-based private equity firms for $683 million. ACE currently has a 22.8 per cent interest in the maintenance company.
With files from the Canadian Press
632 Air Canada flight attendants will lose their jobs in November as the airline is eliminating flights and routes. 332 of the jobs will be lost due to the closure of flight attendant base offices in Halifax and Winnipeg. Another 300 jobs will be lost at Vancouver due to major reductions in Air Canada's Pacific-based international flights.

Air Canada Embraer jet taking off.
Dramatic increases in fuel prices are widely blamed for the airline's cutbacks. The flight attendant layoffs are part of an overall plan to reduce 2000 jobs at Air Canada.

Airline union CUPE learned of the flight attendant cutbacks from the airline on Wednesday. Representatives of the labour association gave critical responses to this news.