Air Canada flight attendants have officially begun their strike after failing to reach a deal with the airline, the Canadian Union of Flight Attendants (CUPE) announced Saturday morning.

The strike began at 12:58 a.m. Eastern Time, with picket lines set to take place in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Richmond, Halifax, Winnipeg and Ottawa.

Air Canada said the shutdown at Canada’s largest airline will affect about 130,000 passengers a day, with about 500 flights canceled in the lead-up to the strike. All Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights are suspended, but regional Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz Aviation and PAL Airlines are not affected.

The airline is warning passengers not to go to the airport without a new, confirmed reservation, and said passengers on canceled flights will be notified by email or text message. They can also request a full refund via its website and mobile app.

After nearly eight months of negotiations, the flight attendants’ union submitted a revised wage proposal on August 11. The union said that new flight attendants’ wages had increased by only 10 per cent ($3 per hour) over the past 25 years, and that a significant portion of their work hours, including safety checks and assisting passengers, would be unpaid.

On Wednesday, the union issued a 72-hour strike notice, and Air Canada responded by issuing a “lockout” notice to prevent flight attendants from working Saturday. The union rejected Air Canada’s offer, preferring to continue negotiations until an agreement could be reached that members could vote on.

Air Canada’s latest offer included a 38 per cent increase in total compensation over four years, but the union believes that the 8 per cent increase in the first year is not enough to account for inflation.

Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu has urged both sides to continue talks and stressed the need for the parties to return to the negotiating table. Earlier in July, 99.7 percent of union members voted in favor of a strike.

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