Air Canada is back in the air today after a quick intervention by the Canadian government halted a strike by its flight attendants. While the airline plans to restart operations this evening, travelers headed to Costa Rica could still face delays or cancellations over the coming days as normal schedules resume.
The disruption began Saturday when 10,000 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) walked off the job. The strike grounded hundreds of flights, including several routes connecting Canada to Costa Rica. Flights to both Juan SantamarÃa International Airport in San José and Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia were affected, with cancellations reported as early as Friday.
The Canadian Industrial Relations Board acted quickly, mandating binding arbitration late Saturday to end the labor action. This forced both the airline and the union into a neutral dispute resolution process. Air Canada executives welcomed the ruling, saying operations would begin to recover by Sunday evening. However, the airline warned that it could take up to 10 days for the full schedule to stabilize.
For Costa Rica, the timing couldn’t have been worse. The disruption came during a high-travel season, with many tourists and business travelers relying on regular service from Toronto, Montreal, and other Canadian cities. Checking social media about this, it was flooded with stories of stranded passengers, including one family whose vacation was derailed and rebooked with another airline—at a much higher cost.
In the wake of such disruption, travel experts are urging passengers to reconsider skipping travel insurance. In situations like this, where strikes and cancellations can upend plans unexpectedly, travel insurance often covers added expenses such as hotel stays, alternative flights, or lost reservations. While many travelers decline coverage to save money, the financial and logistical risks of going without it are becoming harder to ignore.
Air Canada is offering free rebooking’s or full refunds for affected passengers. The airline says it is handling changes automatically where possible, but travelers are urged to check its website or mobile app for real-time updates. Costa Rica’s aviation authorities also recommend contacting the airline directly, as international air travel laws grant compensation for delays exceeding three hours.
This is Air Canada’s first major labor stoppage in years and serves as a reminder of how labor disputes in distant countries can have immediate effects on Costa Rica’s tourism sector. A hotel owner in Guanacaste said that the flight cancellations already resulted in lost bookings—but said the resumed service comes just in time to avoid deeper losses.
As flights gradually resume, travelers coming here are urged to monitor their itineraries closely. With routes to San José and Liberia running multiple times per week, the return to normal may be slow—but at least it’s underway.
