Air Canada canceled flights for Wednesday and Thursday after its 2,100 pilots went on strike demanding higher pay and better working conditions.
Further flight cancellations would be made on a day-to-day basis, the company said.The strike followed a breakdown Tuesday night in talks between the airline and pilots. No further talks were scheduled, airline spokeswoman Priscille Le-Blanc said.
Air Canada carries approximately 60,000 passengers daily, and many were stranded at airports around the world.
The strike was the first for the Air Canada Pilots Association, founded 61 years ago.
"Our management has failed to address our concerns, and we are angered," association chairman Jean-Marc Belanger said. "We are angry, dismayed and displeased that we are forced into this situation."
Belanger said the union had come down considerably from its original demand of a 20 percent raise over two years to a request for a 12 percent salary increase.
The airline tried to make arrangements with 15 other air carriers around the world to take its passengers in the event of a strike.
However, many airlines were already booked solid with late-summer travelers, and many travelers were left stranded.
Luigi Vallero of Turin, Italy, arrived at the Vancouver airport for a flight to Montreal where he planned to continue his Canadian vacation.
"When strikes go on, you never know how it ends up," he said. "So let's see what it will be. I was on vacation so all my plans will be blown up anyway."
In July, Air Canada pilots - who have been without a contract since April 1 - voted 97 percent in favor of a strike in an attempt to get substantial pay increases and improved working conditions.
The pilots made wage and scheduling concessions during the airline's rough ride in the early 1990s. But last year Air Canada was able to turn around and made a $273 million profit.
Pilots earn between $20,500 and $128,200 a year. On average, an Air Canada pilot makes $64,100 a year. The association said its members make 30 percent to 50 percent less than the pay of comparable pilots in the United States and Europe.
As for working conditions, the pilots wanted to reduce the hours spent flying. The union said Air Canada pilots average 78 to 85 hours of flying time per month. The industry average is 75 to 78 hours.
The strike could affect more than 10,000 Air Canada employees, including about 4,000 flight attendants.
Denise Hill, president of the airline division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, told the Toronto-based Globe and Mail that flight attendants would support the pilots.
"We're all union members," Hill said.