Air Canada strike could disrupt LGA and JFK flights this weekend: What to know about cancellations, rebooking

A looming strike could strand travelers intending to fly to and from Canada this weekend, including at LaGuardia and Kennedy airports. 

Air Canada has announced it will begin canceling flights due to collapsed negotiations with 10,000 flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

The union said on its website that it has sought fair wages for all hours worked, as well as cost-of-living enhancements each year, but that Air Canada has not budged and instead sought arbitration from the government. The union said that 99.7% of its members voted to strike.

Air Canada said in a statement that it negotiated with the union over eight months over these issues and presented a 38% compensation increase over the next four years.

As a result of the strike, Air Canada said it will begin canceling flights Thursday and all remaining flights through the weekend.

Air Canada flies direct to Toronto and Montreal from LaGuardia and Kennedy. As of Thursday, no flights to or from those airports had been canceled through Saturday, according to its flight tracker.

Since Canadian tourism has been dropping on Long Island this year, a short-term strike would not have a significant economic impact on Long Island, said Alfredo Gonzalez, international consultant at Discover Long Island.

Still, "If you look at our statistics, July showed that Canada only trailed Mexico in the number of passengers coming by air to the U.S.," Gonzalez said. "Almost 3 million passengers boarded a plane to the U.S. from Canada. If Air Canada lost their seat capacity, that's going to be a significant drop to key partners like New York."

Air Canada, the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Port Authority did not return calls for comment.

Air Canada is allowing travelers to change their flights for free if they’ve purchased tickets prior to Aug. 13. Travelers can reschedule their flights to any date between Aug. 21 and Sept. 12 at no cost. For more information, visit Air Canada’s website.