MONTREAL, June 10, 2011 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada has been advised by the Canadian Auto Workers union representing the airline's call centre and airport check-in and gate agents in Canada that it intends to begin labour action starting at 00:01 A.M. ET on Tuesday June 14.

Air Canada continues to work towards a negotiated settlement with the union to avoid a strike. Should a settlement not be reached and the CAW commences job action, the airline has a contingency plan to continue operating a full schedule and minimize impact on customers.

"Air Canada is firmly committed to negotiating a new contract with the CAW and avoiding strike action. However, should this not be possible, Air Canada has contingency plans in place to operate a full schedule and all bookings will be honored," said Duncan Dee, Air Canada's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.  "We appreciate this situation may cause uncertainty for our customers and we thank them for their patience and understanding. Customers with questions or seeking information should visit our website www.aircanada.com for updates, checking-in, managing bookings and useful information for planning travel."

Air Canada continues to operate its normal schedule and it is business as usual at the airline. However, due to a high volume of calls at our call centres, wait times are long. To avoid waiting, Air Canada strongly recommends customers consult its website, aircanada.com, which will continue to be updated with the latest information for customers.  In addition, aircanada.com offers self-service tools that can be used for making bookings, checking-in for flights and rebooking flights in case a flight is delayed or cancelled for reasons such as bad weather.

Moreover, Air Canada urges customers booked for travel over the coming days to familiarize themselves prior to travel with the self-service check-in and booking tools available at aircanada.com in order that they can self-manage their bookings and travel in event of job action.