The Canada Industrial Relations Board had declared the strike illegal earlier on Monday and ordered the striking flight attendants back on the job. But the union said it will defy this second return to work order, after an earlier one had been ignored. The earlier one also ordered the union to submit to arbitration.

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

With a possible flight attendant strike looming, Air Canada is warning that it might be impossible for some passenger to rebook their cancelled flights in an acceptable time frame. "A planned strike by CUPE,