Porter & PAL pilots seek federal conciliation as contract talks stall

Porter Airlines and PAL Airlines pilots have both asked the federal government to step into contract negotiations, with pilot groups at the two Canadian carriers filing Notices of Dispute and requesting conciliation assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

The moves, announced separately by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), come as pilots at both airlines say negotiations with management have stalled over working conditions and quality-of-life concerns.

At Porter, pilots are working to secure their first collective agreement as ALPA members after filing a Notice to Bargain in September 2025.

“After months of waiting for meaningful movement, it’s clear that the company is not prepared to engage in real bargaining,” said Capt. Brian Smith, chair of the Porter ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC), in a press release.

“As Porter management has failed to contribute meaningful proposals to address these concerns, conciliation has become a necessary step to ensure we can secure an industry-standard agreement that provides the predictability and stability our members and their families deserve.”

According to ALPA, scheduling and working conditions are among the key concerns for Porter pilots as the airline continues its expansion.

“As MEC chair, I have heard loud and clear that our pilots need dependable, predictable, and stable working conditions that allow them to balance family life with the demands of our profession. Management has remained focused on Porter Airlines’ rapid expansion and has relied heavily on the professionalism, dedication, flexibility, and goodwill of our pilots to support that growth.”

“Meanwhile, they have failed to ensure that working conditions also evolve to reflect the needs of Porter pilots. As a result, our pilots now find themselves working under increasingly unpredictable conditions that have fallen well behind industry standards,” Capt. Smith concluded.

PAL pilots also seek conciliation

Meanwhile, pilots at PAL Airlines, also represented by ALPA, have taken the same formal step as negotiations for their second collective agreement reach an impasse.

Talks between PAL pilots and management have been underway since July 2025.

The airline, notably, operates as a regional partner for Air Canada by running regional feeder flights under the Air Canada Express brand.

“PAL management has dragged their feet for months, and it’s obvious that they have no intention of engaging in meaningful bargaining,” said Capt. Conrad Reid, chair of the PAL ALPA MEC, in a release. 

“We didn’t want to escalate, but PAL’s refusal to listen and understand our concerns without creating unworkable solutions designed to strip away our quality of life has left us no choice. Our pilots are done waiting for a contract that provides us a real work-life balance. Conciliation is now the only path forward because management has shown that they will not move unless forced. PAL pilots deserve a contract that reflects the operation they support every day, and we will push as hard as necessary to achieve this.”

Reid said instability and short staffing are among the concerns being raised by PAL pilots.

“I hear from pilots every single day that they are exhausted by the instability and short staffing that PAL continues to impose on them,” Reid said. “They’re trying to manage demanding schedules, families, and their own well-being, and PAL still hasn’t put forward anything that meaningfully addresses those basic quality-of-life issues. It’s unacceptable.”

“Our pilots cannot keep operating under this level of uncertainty. Conciliation is now required because PAL has left us with no other option. We are fully committed to securing an agreement that restores stability and respects the needs of our members while continuing to provide exceptional service to our passengers.”

For both pilot groups, the conciliation process now follows a similar path. The federal minister has 15 days to appoint a conciliation officer, who will then work with the respective parties for 60 days in an effort to reach agreements.

If either set of negotiations remains at an impasse after conciliation, and the parties do not agree to an extension, a 21-day cooling-off period would begin before the parties can engage in self-help.

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