Air Canada has begun cancelling flights ahead of a lockout of some 10-thousand flight attendants with the airline and Air Canada Rouge.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees issued strike notice earlier this week and the airline countered with a lockout notice.

Air Canada is winding down most of its operations to be completed ahead of Saturday and has also sought government-directed arbitration to resolve the situation.

Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz and PAL Airlines will continue to operate as normal. However, those regional partners only carry about 20 percent of Air Canada’s daily customers.

The airline says Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge carry approximately 130,000 customers a day who could be affected by a disruption.

The first flights are being cancelled today and more will come tomorrow, with full operations for both Air Canada and Rouge coming to a halt on Saturday.

Customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and they will be eligible for a full refund, which can be obtained online at www.aircanada.com or through the Air Canada mobile app.

The airline also says it is implementing a flexible rebooking policy for all customers, so they can change or defer travel at no additional cost.

Air Canada strongly recommends against customers going to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking and their flights are showing as operating.