It’s been a whirlwind of a week at the Regina International Airport, with Air Canada’s flight attendants going on strike last week. However, the airline continues to ramp up operations after reaching a tentative deal with the union on Tuesday. Speaking to those who arrived Friday morning from a flight from Toronto, passengers were generally pleased. Many on board already had the Toronto-Regina flight originally scheduled for Friday morning, with no delays. However, one woman and her daughter got caught up in the strike over in St. John’s, N.L. They were originally supposed to depart from St. John’s on Saturday, totalling a six-day delay. “Everything that I heard with regards to the strike that happened just this past week about the agents working at the desks, that those people were absolute angels,” she said. “Air Canada completely dropped the ball on this one.” Their flight was rebooked for Wednesday, but since workers did not agree to go back to work, the mother and daughter were still stuck in St. John’s. On the positive side, a few local residents welcomed them into their home for the next three nights. Others who had flights booked for Thursday had a pretty normal experience. “It was perfect,” said a man travelling from Athens, Greece. “We were supposed to leave Athens at 1:20 on Athens time on Thursday, and then we got to Toronto. We had a 17-hour layover, which was what it was going to be anyways.” According to James Bogusz, the CEO of the Regina Airport Authority, the strike had a substantive impact on the airport’s revenue. Over 500 Regina passengers were affected each day. “I’m sure that collectively, Canadians were feeling some relief,” Bogusz said. “Air Canada is a major carrier for our country. It serves over 35 per cent of the capacity from Regina. It was very disruptive, so we’re certainly feeling relief locally.” Attendants for Air Canada will begin voting on a new tentative agreement next week that raises wages and establishes a pay structure for time worked when planes are on the ground.
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