Air Canada said on Tuesday it has asked for federal government intervention in contract talks with its flight attendants union, after the airline declared an impasse in the negotiations.

The Montreal-based airline, which transports about 130,000 customers a day, said the union representing flight attendants made a recent counteroffer seeking “exorbitant” pay increases, and has rejected an offer to enter third-party binding arbitration.

In a response letter from the union dated August 12 and obtained by The Globe, Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE declined the proposal to proceed to binding arbitration, calling it “not an appropriate path in this round of bargaining.” He urged Air Canada to continue to negotiate at the bargaining table.