Air Canada pilots vote in favour of new contract, dousing strike fears

Air Canada pilots have given a green light to a tentative agreement with the airline, easing any fears of a future strike.

The Air Line Pilots Association says aviators voted 67 per cent in favour of the deal to ratify the agreement.

The deal grants the carrier’s 5,400 pilots a cumulative wage hike of nearly 42 per cent over four years.

The increase outstrips major gains won last year by pilots at the three biggest U.S. airlines, where pay bumps ranged between 34 and 40 per cent — though they started from a higher baseline.

Despite the big top-line figure, the fact that roughly one-third of the pilots voted to reject the agreement reveals a divide over issues such as scheduling, quality of life and a large pay gap between newer employees and more experienced flight crews.

Charlene Hudy, who chairs the union’s Air Canada contingent, says the deal helps restore what pilots have lost over the past two decades.