The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has said the strike would continue until the carrier negotiates on wages and unpaid work.

“We’re still amazed by the fact that CUPE is openly not following the law,” Rousseau told Reuters in an interview. “And that is very disappointing from our perspective.”

Asked about plans to resume service, Rousseau said “we’re taking this day by day,” but stressed that the carrier needs “the flight attendants to show up.”

He added that the message to the union is “this is an illegal strike. We’re harming our customers, we’re harming our brand.”

Rousseau said he believed he is still the right person to lead the company through the tumultuous period and urged shareholders to trust senior management’s “expertise and creativity.”

Some analysts have said shareholders are concerned about the strike and have questioned whether Air Canada is losing more from the stoppage than from settling with the union.