More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants went on strike as of 12:58 a.m. ET on Saturday, after the airline and the union representing them failed to reach a deal ahead of the deadline.

Air Canada began canceling flights Thursday ahead of a possible strike by its flight attendants that could impact hundreds of thousands of travelers. A complete shutdown of the country's largest airline threatens to impact about 130,000 people a day.

Flight attendants are demanding better wages and compensation for unpaid work. Currently, Air Canada only compensates flight attendants for the time they are in the air, but its attendants are seeking pay for the work they do before take-off and after landing, too.