BREAKING: US Travel Alert as Air Canada Averts Disaster in Last Second Deal

A major travel crisis has been narrowly averted in Canada after Air Canada managed to secure a last-minute agreement with its pilots' union, thus preventing a massive strike from taking place.

Air Canada, which is the nation's largest airline, had been bracing for a prolonged breakdown in operations as the union's members prepared to walk off the job, spurning massive disruption to the nation's aviation industry.

Fortunately for anxious passengers, a deal has been struck at the eleventh hour, saving many a traveler from the nightmare of last minute flight cancellations and the resulting upheaval. The details of the agreement are still somewhat sketchy at this point, but Air Canada officials say that they are thrilled to have avoided industrial action.

The airline had been planning for the worst and was poised to begin cancelling flights across the country, with a view to a phased shutdown of operations over the course of three days. Needless to say, the prospect of grounding their entire fleet had Air Canada officials scrambling to find an alternative solution to the crisis, which would likely have caused untold mayhem for passengers.

Nearly 3,000 pilots are represented by the union, and their combined threat to down tools would undoubtedly have brought the airline's services to its knees.

Although Air Canada said it was ready to implement contingency plans to cancel the flights and minimize disruptions to travelers, the union's move would have spelled disaster for holiday makers and business travelers alike.

With travel plans thrown into chaos, people were on tenterhooks, waiting to see if an agreement could be reached. The averted strike brings welcome news to those with flights already booked and has allowed the airline to confirm that it's business as usual.

Prior to the strike, Air Canada said that it would keep passengers informed about any developments that could impact their travel arrangements. In the end, the last-minute deal has averted the mother of all travel meltdowns - breathe a sigh of relief if you've got an Air Canada flight - the airline can now operate as per usual, ensuring trips go smoothly, just in the nick of time.