Air Canada flight attendants said Tuesday they had reached a "tentative" deal with the airline to end a strike over wages and ground work that has cancelled travel for half a million people worldwide.

After months of stalled negotiations, 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job early Saturday morning. The federal government stepped in hours later to order binding arbitration, forcing an end to the strike — or so they thought.

The Canadian government has urged Air Canada and its flight attendants' union to restart contract negotiations, with a threatened work stoppage that could disrupt travel for tens of thousands just hours away unless there is a resolution to the dispute.