Air Canada Shuts Down as Flight Attendants Strike

Air Canada, the largest carrier in Canada, shut down early Saturday morning as thousands of flight attendants went on strike.

The carrier had entered a 72-hour lockout period this week and started winding down operations to prepare.

The strike will disrupt thousands of flights and potentially leave thousands of passengers stranded. Air Canada and its low-cost affiliate, Air Canada Rouge, fly around 130,000 customers a day.

The carrier accounts for around 48% of the country’s domestic capacity, according to data from Cirium. Air Canada is the only major carrier in the country with an extensive international network.

United Airlines, which has a codeshare with Air Canada, iss