Oh, Canada

Surely the best use of my time at 4:27 a.m. as I wait at my gate is to pen a blog post, right?

Neither Paresh nor I had “scramble to rebook our plane tickets at the last possible second” on our Japan trip bingo card, but sometimes life throws curveballs. That’s precisely what happened these past three days. On Wednesday, I felt an almost comical level of misfortune to learn that Air Canada’s flight attendant union had provided a 72-hour notice to strike after months of stalled and failed negotiations over improved wages and working conditions. What this meant for us is that, unless a deal was swiftly reached (and all signs indicated this was very unlikely), all of AC’s flights would be grounded starting on Saturday. As in today. As in the exact day of our travel plans.

This situation thrust the two of us into involuntary participation in an airline version of Russian roulette. A refund for our original flights would only be issued in the event that AC canceled our flights (we could not do so proactively), but if we held out without preemptively booking alternative fare, we risked being forced to reschedule at a future date (on an airline whose capacity to operate is still very much in question as of this writing). Luckily, the fates smiled. We found alternative bookings and later serendipitously received word of our previous flight’s cancelation. One rather noticeable caveat: Paresh and I are no longer traveling together. Contrary to our original plans, I will now play the role of advance scout, arriving several hours before him.

I’ve reflected several times in anticipation of this trip on the fact that this is my first international trip where I am “the adult.” I was very much a capable adult on both of my trips to Norway, but it’s a different flavor when you are with your parents. Now that I am arriving alone, the spotlight on the novel aspect of this experience feels magnified. I can feel an internal pressure I’ve casually placed on myself to prove that I can navigate this experience with competence, resilience, and respect to the country and culture in which we will soon be steeped.

A word on the strike: it should go without saying that I am in full support of the flight attendants’ union and their constitutional right to strike in order to demand better working conditions. Air Canada’s flight attendants are currently unpaid for groundwork they complete before and after flights and are instead only compensated for time physically spent on the plane, which does not constitute the totality of their responsibilities. That is categorically deplorable. It has been gratifying while reading news reports on this situation to find that—in contrast to my assumptions—public opinion seems to be on the side of the union despite AC’s persistent attempts to scapegoat their employees and paint the ordeal as “a labor disruption out of our control.” Their appeals to forced arbitration underscore that they will use every avenue to minimize their acquiescence to what is right and maximize the continued gain of their executives and shareholders, all at the expense and inconvenience of their customers. I have been lucky to have dodged the impacts of corporate fiascos like this for most of my life. This will be the last time I suffer one at the hands of Air Canada.

This blog isn’t intended to be a political manifesto, but I make no promises for the future. You never know with me.

Next time I post, it will be from across the Pacific. See you on the flip side, Portland!