Canada’s biggest airline will temporarily reduce its unionized workforce by an additional 1,500 jobs after laying off 80 employees last week from its Rouge operations.
Managers will also be placed on forced leave, Air Canada said Tuesday, without specifying how many would be affected.
The layoffs are effective on February 18, resulting in the suspension of 17 flight routes to the U.S. and overseas until at least April 30. “Affected customers with bookings will be contacted with options, including alternate routings,” Air Canada said, according to Global News. There was no mention of refunds.
The suspended routes include Toronto to Boston, Washington, Denver, and New York as well as Montreal to Boston and New York, and Vancouver to Seattle. International routes affected include flights from Toronto to Bogota, Dublin and Sao Paulo, Montreal to Bogota and Vancouver to London, England, and Narita, Japan.
The reduction in flights has also affected other Canadian carriers. Air Transat is coming to a complete standstill and says it will temporarily lay off its cabin crews and pilots starting Feb. 11, according to CTV News Canada.
“We are putting in place the measures requested by the Canadian government, including not traveling to the south,” president and CEO of Air Transat Jean-Marc Eustache said, adding that flights to Europe are also being temporarily suspended as part of the measures.
WestJet Airlines Ltd. will lay off 120 cabin crew members as of March 2. The layoffs come as Canadian airlines agree, at the request of the federal government, to suspend all flights to Mexico and the Caribbean until April 30.
