Winnipeg passengers trying to re-book Air Canada flights seeing surge in ticket prices

Their signs were held high, and their voices were loud.

At the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport on Monday, Air Canada employees refused to leave the line, with the union saying it’s upholding its constitutional right to strike.

On Sunday, Canadian Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu ordered striking flight attendants back to work by 2 p.m. ET, through Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code. The Canadian Industrial Relations Board called the strike “illegal.”

READ: Air Canada extends flight cancellations as strike action continues

But Monday, workers were still on the picket lines. The president of CUPE Manitoba, Gina McKay, says the potential repercussions of defying a return-to-work order won’t stop the strike.

“We don’t agree with the announcement,” McKay said. “We don’t agree with the Section 107 that’s been delivered. We have the right to strike, and that’s what we’re going to do and we’re going to hold the line for these workers.”

Air Canada passenger Lisa Webster waited at the airport in Ottawa for hours, trying to get a flight back home to British Columbia. Ongoing cancellations left her scared she wouldn’t make it home at all, so she cancelled her plans to fly to Winnipeg to reunite with family and friends in Manitoba. She says she’s concerned all carriers that are still taking passengers are much more expensive than when she initially booked.

“They need to put in place rules and laws that actually lock in airline pricing at least two weeks before a strike date is announced,” Webster said.

“A ticket equivalent to what I had purchased at $440 is now between $1,600 and $2,200.”

Air Canada said in a public statement flights are still suspended because flight attendants did not return to work. The airline did not respond to CityNews’ requests for comment.

WestJet said in an email statement it was committed to keeping travel as affordable as possible during this time.

A spokesperson for Transport Canada said in an email statement the government doesn’t influence prices from air carriers, as they’re private-sector companies. It said it’s asking air carriers to pay special attention to fares that are sometimes increased automatically by internal systems when there’s an increase in demand, and to not gouge stranded passengers that could find themselves in difficult situations.

“I’m gonna be missing three days of work. I’m part-time, but that’s my entire work week. I won’t get paid for those,” Webster said.

She says although she supports people on the lines, she’s not travelling for the foreseeable future if prices stay where they are.

“I just can’t afford it,” she said. “I’m only working three days a week, I’m gearing up for retirement. I’m not rich. So it just means I’m grounded.”