TORONTO/OTTAWA (Reuters) -Hundreds of Air Canada employees formed picket lines outside major Canadian airports on Saturday, hours after unionized flight attendants walked off the job in a contract dispute that has disrupted travel for tens of thousands of passengers.

A bitter contract fight between Canada’s largest airline and the union representing 10,000 of its flight attendants escalated Friday as the union turned down the airline’s request to enter into government-directed arbitration,

Air Canada suspended all operations as more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants went on strike early Saturday after a deadline to reach a deal passed,