Air Canada Flight Attendant Reveals How Much They Actually Make Amid Strike
"It is poverty wages."
Published Aug. 15 2025, 1:49 p.m. ET
Air Canada is the latest airline facing a strike from its flight attendants who are seeking higher wages.
According to Reuters, the union is demanding higher wages and compensation for unpaid work. Currently, flight attendants for Air Canada are only paid when planes are in motion.
In their latest negotiations, flight attendants from our neighbor to the north are seeking compensation for the work they do before and after a plane is in motion such as boarding passengers and waiting around the airport before and between flights.
So, how much do flight attendants for Air Canada currently make?
One Air Canada flight attendant shared her salary and it is shocking.
On a post on Reddit, one Air Canada flight attendant shared a screenshot of their tax return, which showed a total salary of just under $35,000 as a full-time employee.
"I made about $35K last year in 2024, and so do most other flight attendants. Full-time. 2.5 years of service at the time," they wrote.
"With rent in Vancouver being one of the most expensive places in the country. 2500$ a month for a bedroom that’s $30K a year. It is poverty wages.
They also went on to explain they work abotut 35 hours a month that they are not paid for before adding, "We don’t get paid for boarding, delays, deplaning, medicals."
Many folks in the comments section were shocked by that figure.
"I knew it would be bad when I saw what the pilots made. This is pathetic. I support your strike," one person wrote. Another added, "Worse than minimum wage. Hope you guys get a big increase."
For reference, the CEO of Air Canada made CA$12.43 million in 2024, per Simply Wall Street.
Air Canada strike comes after eight months of negotiations.
The decision to go on strike was not made overnight. Despite eight months of negotiations, the union and Air Canada have been unable to come to an agreement when it comes to flgiht attendants' wages, and starting August 16, 2025, the employees are going on strike.
"For the past nine months, we have put forward solid, data-driven proposals on wages and unpaid work, all rooted in fairness and industry standards," said Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada component of CUPE, in a statement. "Air Canada’s response to our proposals makes one thing clear: they are not interested in resolving these critical issues."
Since 2000, starting wages for flight attendants with Air Canada have risen only $3 per hour, "while inflation has climbed 69 percent over the same period," reported Al Jazeera.
Canada's Labour Minister Patty Hajdu has also released a statement regarding the Air Canada strike, urging both parties to come back to the bargaining table.
"I urge both parties to put their differences aside, come back to the bargaining table and get this done now for the many travellers who are counting on you," she wrote.