“I feel like I’m not getting anywhere”: The overlooked toll of the Air Canada strike on travel advisors

When Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job in the early hours of Saturday morning, grounding nearly 700 flights and stranding an estimated half a million passengers, much of the public attention turned to the airline, its union, and the federal government.

But behind the scenes, Canadian travel advisors like Jamie Badowski are bearing the emotional and logistical brunt of the disruption, working around the clock to help abandoned clients – with little to no support from the airline itself.

“I personally feel that the government stepping in, the way they stepped in, it should have been for people who are stranded,” said Badowski, a travel advisor based in Ajax, ON. “Air Canada is not covering accommodations. They’re not reachable. There’s zero way to get a hold of them. I went through this during the pandemic. This is bringing it all back.”

The strike action, which has seen over 10,000 flight attendants from Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge demand fairer wages and compensation for duties performed before takeoff and after landing, was halted by the federal government through Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code on Saturday (Aug. 16).  

However, defiance from the union – the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) – left Air Canada’s planes on the ground, and passengers stuck – including one of Badowski’s client groups, now stranded at Dreams La Romana in the Dominican Republic.

The $10,000 USD extension nobody asked for

Badowski’s group of 12 – made up of grandparents, parents, and young children – flew out on August 10 with Air Canada Vacations (ACV), just as rumours of a strike began to circulate.

“In the days leading up to their departure, there was no recourse to switch their week if they wanted to,” Badowski explained. “By the time they got to their destination, there was nothing they could do.”

READ MORE: Ottawa invokes Section 107 of Labour Code to end AC strike; "Strike still on," says union

Then, Air Canada cancelled their return flight. “They offered them a refund, but no itinerary. They were cancelled in Punta Cana, where you don’t have a lot of options for international flights home. It would have cost $3,000 a person to get home [with another carrier].”

Eventually, the group was rebooked on a flight for August 23 – an unplanned week-long extension. In the meantime, the hotel worked with Badowski to offer a discounted rate.

“I’ve had to jump into action with the hotel, which has gone above and beyond. The reservation team has had this on radar since Wednesday,” she said.

Still, the additional week will cost the group roughly $10,000 USD. “One in the group had to have heart medication delivered to the hotel. They’re getting nervous about the situation. The only communication they’re getting is from me.”

Her clients have a right to feel nervous. Shortly after speaking with PAX, Badowski noted that her clients in the Dominican Republic may not have accommodations after all due to limited capacity.

“The day-to-day cancellations are making it hard to book accommodations, given the non-refundable room nights,” Badowski said.

Unpaid labour, unrecognized effort

While flight attendants are demanding compensation for unpaid time worked, Badowski sees troubling parallels in her own profession.

“Many agents are working on a service fee or for free because their clients booked a basic fare,” she said. “Without us, I feel like the situation, from a customer service standpoint, would be way worse.”

The burden of logistics, reassurance, and real-time communication has fallen almost entirely on travel advisors, she said.

“That part is very frustrating to me,” she said. “I feel like I’m doing things for no reason. I want to assist my clients, but no matter what I do, I feel like I’m not getting anywhere.”

Insurance isn’t enough

While Badowski’s group has travel insurance, coverage falls far short of the cost.

“It’s a daily limit,” said Badowski. “It only covers up to a maximum amount. My clients are currently paying out of pocket, and they have the income to do that. But for people travelling on pre-paid visas, what are they doing?”

READ MORE: CIRB declares strike at Air Canada unlawful, orders CUPE to direct flight attendants back to work

In the case of Badowski’s clients, their policy covers $350 CAD per day, with a maximum payout of $1,500. The rest may have to be absorbed by the travellers themselves – if Air Canada doesn’t step up.

“Because it’s no longer a strike, but a refusal to work, I’m not sure whether Air Canada will cover their accommodation,” she said.

Radio silence 

Badowski said ACV has provided updates and extended hours to assist travel advisors, but the airline itself has been absent. 

“I’ve had zero communication,” Badowski said. “So have my clients. I don’t understand why an email hasn’t been sent from Air Canada.”

VIDEO: “It’s in Air Canada’s hands”: Flight attendants protest at Toronto Pearson

She’s calling for immediate, clear messaging from the airline. “My request is for Air Canada to send a clear message to travel advisors that are scrambling to try and protect their clients.”

Empathy for the strikers, frustration with the system

Despite the chaos, Badowski and her clients support the flight attendants.

“I am very proud of them,” she said. “My clients are also on the flight attendants’ side, despite the situation. People need to understand the amount of training they have to do. If people think they’re just serving you coffee, that’s not what they’re there for. They’re there to keep passengers safe.”

What’s needed, she said, is systemic reform. “Policies and standards need to change in this industry. We should not be waiting until the final hour before a strike. It makes it impossible to find flights and accommodations for clients that don’t know how to navigate this industry.”

And time is something Badowski has very little of. The whole situation has left her upset and exhausted. Her daughter is moving to university this Thursday, and what should be time spent with her “has turned into me trying to navigate a broken system.”

If there’s one silver lining, it’s the renewed attention on the value of working with a professional travel advisor.

“Not all clients know what to do in this situation,” Badowski said. “They don’t understand.”

Looking for answers 

For Steph Switzer, a travel advisor based in Stouffville, ON, the experience has been nothing short of overwhelming.

“Our voice is lost in all of this,” Switzer told PAX. “We’re the ones who are scrambling trying to find answers. We’re watching flights around the clock.”

Travel advisors like Switzer are experiencing a parallel crisis. Their work is also often unpaid, unrecognized, and under relentless pressure.

“I understand what flight attendants are fighting for,” she said. “They’re working in an antiquated role like us.”

Switzer notes that this situation has veered into unprecedented territory.

“This seems very new. I don’t think anybody knew this was going to happen,” she said. “The Air Canada pilot strike [last September] was settled at the 11th hour. The WestJet mechanics strike last summer had one day of interruptions.”

But the current shutdown has dragged on for almost three days now — and the ripple effects have been brutal.

“I’m getting questions from clients round the clock. Text messages, emails – however they can reach me,” she said. “Everyone expects us to be the experts, but we don’t have all the answers.”

Frontline workers – without a script

Switzer, like many of her peers, is operating in real time, refreshing social media feeds, scouring airline portals, and trying to translate corporate statements into concrete answers for stressed-out clients.

“I’ve noticed that updates from Toronto Pearson airport are coming out faster than from Air Canada,” she said. “Air Canada has emailed its goodwill policy, but everybody gets that. It’s a wait-and-see situation. We know as much as we’re being told.”

This informational vacuum leaves travel advisors playing the part of crisis managers — absorbing the emotional burden of travellers who are left in limbo.

“We’re also on the frontline with clients when it comes to absorbing frustrations, anger, other stuff,” Switzer said. “It’s a tricky role.”

Like working in an "emergency room"

The impact is not just emotional – it’s financial. Switzer recalls a recent situation involving clients returning from a Disney cruise.

“They were supposed to fly home on Saturday [Aug. 16], and their flight was cancelled. They panicked,” she said. “They ended up booking a one-way flight with WestJet from Orlando to Toronto — five tickets, a two-and-a-half-hour flight — for $9,200.”

“We’re the ones who have to relay this pricing.”

Even travel insurance, often seen as a safeguard, is becoming a source of uncertainty.

“I’m hearing that Manulife might not cover flights that were rebooked before an Air Canada flight was officially cancelled,” she noted. (PAX has reached out to Manulife to clarify). “It’s just one example of the lack of information we have.”

The piece “that’s being lost in all of this,” added Switzer, is that “we’re working around the clock as if we work in an emergency room — which we’re not.”

“We don’t get paid like doctors do. The only way to make money during this time would be to charge clients, who are already in a stressed-out situation,” she said.

Right now, Switzer is waiting to see if departures happen this week. While Air Canada has announced intentions to restart operations tonight (Monday, Aug. 18), the specifics of how that will be achieved remain uncertain.

“My next departures are this Wednesday. Initially I was only concerned about this past weekend, but now that it’s been two full days, I’m worried,” she said.

Lead with kindness

Ottawa-based Cindy Almond of Romance and Foodie Travel had only a few clients immediately affected by the strike, but she too was unable to reach anyone at Air Canada’s call centre.

“I luckily didn’t have too many clients affected — only two so far,” she said. “But there are people in tears at the airport, and my client was so thankful to have had an agent by her side.”

Thanks to her proactive use of booking tools, Almond was able to rebook her clients with alternate airlines before the situation worsened.

“If you’re nice to people at airlines, they’ll be nice to you,” she advises fellow agents. “You have to temper your frustration in these situations. Everyone’s struggling. Everyone’s trying their best.”

Situations like this also “develop your expertise as an agent in high-pressure situations, which is invaluable,” Almond added.

She credits her partners in the industry — those working behind the scenes — for helping her navigate the chaos.

“My clients were just so grateful. I was able to find solutions that weren’t too horrible — and in a time like this, that’s everything.”

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