Air Canada is offering reimbursement assistance for passengers affected by labour action, according to a page on the airline’s website.

In an interview with Reuters, Mike Rousseau blamed the impasse on a gap between the airline's offer and its union's demands.

Two possible class-action lawsuits by Air Canada passengers affected by the airline’s flight attendant strike were submitted in court in Montreal Monday. Both Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) are named as defendants in the legal motions.

Air Canada has suspended plans to restart operations after the union representing 10,000 flight attendants decided to defy a return-to-work order.

Most carriers have paid cabin crew members only when planes are in motion. But in their latest contract negotiations, flight attendants in North America have sought compensation for hours worked, including for tasks like boarding passengers and waiting around the airport before and between flights.

On the eve of a possible strike that could see roughly 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants walk off the job at 1 a.m. on Saturday, the country’s largest airline could come to a standstill. Flight staff say they will be prepared to trade the cabin aisle for the picket line if no deal is reached,