Picketing members included cabin crew from 24 airlines including Alaska, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines.

Out of 93.47% participating Alaska Air flight attendants – represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) – 99.48% voted in favor of a strike, the airline said.

U.S. flight attendants are unlikely to walk off the job because of a complex labor process that makes it difficult for airline workers to strike. But the first Alaska mandate since 1993 reflects labor’s broader demands for higher pay at a time when a majority of U.S. cabin crew are in contract talks, the Association of Flight Attendants said.

While pilots across major airlines have secured new labor deals including bumper pay hikes and other benefits, some flight attendants have not had a pay raise in five years, the AFA said.

Flight attendants from Southwest Airlines and Air Transat in Canada, which are both pressing for steep pay raises, are in negotiations after rejecting earlier deals.

According to a Feb. 9 union memo to Transat flight attendants seen by Reuters, an adviser assigned by the union is “no longer at the bargaining table,” after members rejected two earlier agreements.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents Transat flight attendants, said the change was related to internal union management, and would not impact the continuity of the negotiations.

Credits: Alaska Airline

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Flight AI185 departed from New Delhi to Vancouver on 19 March but turned back mid-flight after authorities realised the airline had sent a Boeing 777-200LR (VT-AEI) instead of the approved Boeing 777-300ER for Canadian operations.

The aircraft had been airborne for around four to five hours and was near Kunming when it was ordered to return. It landed safely back in Delhi after nearly eight hours total flight time.

The airline attributed the incident to an “operational issue” and arranged accommodation and assistance for affected passengers. A replacement flight was later dispatched to complete the journey.

The incident highlights regulatory compliance requirements tied to specific aircraft types, and how operational errors can lead to significant disruptions even mid-flight.

Credits: Air India

The post Air India Vancouver flight returns mid-air over aircraft mix-up first appeared on AircrewNews.com.