We would like to express our gratitude to our brothers and sisters at Unifor 2002 for their continued solidarity and for the support they gave us at our rallies and on our picket lines. They recently issued a bulletin to their Unifor members regarding Last Sold Seats, which you can read HERE.
We are entering the final phase for the arbitration of our Last Sold Seat grievances CHQ-22-44 (Mainline) and CHQ-rouge-22-14 (Rouge). We continue to receive numerous reports of violations of Last Sold Seats (LOU 27 & LOU 55.31) and are constantly adding documentation and violation reports to our files as we prepare for the upcoming arbitration dates.
Evidence is key to any arbitration. The more evidence of violations and the more complete the evidence we gather to support our grievances, the better the chances of a successful outcome.
The most effective means of reporting these violations is through the Last Sold Seat Violation Report, found on the Component website. Your reports and supporting documentation go directly to the Union Executive and to the representatives working on these grievances. Members with Company-issued devices, please also report the violation to the Company through the OBR app. If your flight is no longer available in the OBR app (i.e. at any time in the past) or if you do not have Company-issued devices, you can also report by emailing obr@aircanada.ca (include the flight number, date, and number of available economy seats).
We feel it is important to reiterate what constitutes a violation. These are the published and long-standing policy criteria. Please note, Gate Agents are not required to upgrade passengers to PY or J class to leave the last sold seats vacant. To avoid conflict with our Gate Agent colleagues, please do not ask this of them.
A last sold seat violation occurs when all the following conditions are met:
- One or more passengers have been assigned to the designated last sold seats, which vary by aircraft. Here is the updated list.
Mainline
- A220, A319/320/321, *A330 (not LOU 61 – see below), B737, B777 – last row left side
- B787 – last row middle
- LOU 61 flights – see monthly bulletins
*A330 with dedicated contractual crew rest seats – last row right side
Rouge
- A319/320 – last row left side
- A321 – last row right side
-
There are sufficient empty seats in the Economy (Y) cabin to accommodate ALLpassengers assigned to the designated last sold seats.
3. The violation is reported to the Gate Agent(s) working the flight, and a request must be made to re-assign the passengers in that row to other Economy (Y) seats.
If the passengers are not moved, and all three conditions are met, a violation occurs.
***It is very important as the first step, the Service Director or Lead must bring the issue to the attention of the agent(s) for rectification before departure.
- At the gate: When crew first go down to the aircraft, the Service Director or Lead should ask the agents if anyone is seated in the last sold seats and what the expected load is to see if it changed since printing the preflight briefing package. If passengers are seated in the last sold seats, please ask the agents to reseat them if other seats in Y are available.
- During boarding: If crew members notice that passengers are seated in the last sold seats, ask the agents to reseat the passengers in the last sold seats, if other seats in Y are available.
If a violation occurs, the following information should be gathered and reported on the Component website link HERE. A report with full documentation carries a lot of weight, so please include as much of the following documentation as possible:
- Pre-flight briefing package: This will indicate whether at check in time the flight was showing as full or oversold. This will assist in determining whether the last sold seats were initially blocked off on a flight that is not full or oversold. The important sections are the total forecast load and passengers assigned the last sold seats ahead of time.
- Written statement: Please take note of all observations and interactions with the CES agents (who, what, where, when, etc.). This information should be included in the violation report.
- Final Passenger Information List (PIL/OSL): The final PIL/OSL will provide proof of final seat occupancy. The most valuable information is the header showing the final load, the actual seat occupancy, and the vacant seat list. Please take photos.
- OBX app: Screenshots of home page showing final load and actual seat occupancy (or empty seat list) are most helpful.
- OBR report or email obr@aircanada.ca: Please document the issue in a report that goes to AC/ Rouge management, take screenshots to attach to your report and keep a copy for your files.
At a minimum, to establish that a violation has occurred, photos of the OSL/PIL or screenshots of the OBX App showing final flight load and Last Sold Seats assigned must be included with your report. We are also documenting every time the system awards the last sold seats, even if the passengers assigned them are ultimately moved. This is being done with the intention of illustrating that the seat assignment is not being handled as the programmers intended. Please again report on the link, including the words ‘not a violation – sales agents relocated passengers’ in the comments section. We are gathering as much information as we can to advocate on your behalf.
These seats are a contractual entitlement. We must preserve what has been bargained. They are not something we should have to demand. We should not have to argue with our colleagues in other departments, nor should we have to grieve this. Unfortunately, this issue has not subsided.
Please consult the following documents to see what is being done to protect LOU 27 and LOU 55.31 contractual rights:
- Grievance CHQ-22-44 Last Sold Seats LOU 27
- Grievance CHQ-rouge-22-14 Last Sold Seats LOU 55.31
- February 21, 2025, Bulletin – Last Sold Seats
- June 2023 Grievance Committee update
- April 12, 2023, Bulletin – Last Sold Seats
- December 9, 2022, Grievance Process Update
- June 9, 2022, Bulletin – Last Sold Seats
Now is the time for our membership to stand together, to be the professionals you are, and to report these violations to build our file for a successful arbitration hearing. With your assistance, we will achieve our goal.
Govern yourselves accordingly, in solidarity,
