Air Transat
An Air Transat A330 at London Gatwick Airport. Photo: F/O Guillaume Riopel (Air Transat)
At A Glance
Pilots joined ALPA: 1999
Number of pilots: 760
Pilot bases: Montréal, Qué., and Toronto, Ont.
Hubs: Montréal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport
Headquarters: Montréal, Qué.
Operations: Air Transat provides scheduled transportation for more than 2.5 million passengers annually to nearly 60 destinations in 30 countries.
Fleet: 8 A321ceos, 19 A321neoLRs, and 14 A330-200/300s
Last October, Air Transat pilots had a front-row seat watching their colleagues at Air Canada negotiate and ratify one of the largest labour contracts in Canadian aviation history. “This historic agreement raises the bar for pilots in Canada and establishes a benchmark for pattern bargaining, with a particular focus on compensation and quality of life across the industry,” said Capt. Bradley Small, the pilot group’s Master Executive Council (MEC) chair. “Air Transat pilots begin contract negotiations with management in January and strongly encourage management to follow in the footsteps of Air Canada by acknowledging the market trends in the aviation sector and recognizing the value, skill, and experience our pilots bring to the airline and our passengers.”
After a banner year in 2023, the airline had difficulty in 2024 achieving profitability due to its large debt burden, which led to a number of flight attendant layoffs. Fortunately, the pilot group hasn’t experienced any furloughs, and flight loads have remained steady—although the airline continues to experience issues due to delays in receiving Pratt & Whitney engines.
Despite these challenges, the pilots remain united in their goal to achieve a fair and long-overdue contract. The MEC has been busy holding numerous pilot unity-building events ahead of the January start to contract negotiations and has also launched a monthly podcast and expanded its reach on social media.
“Air Transat pilots will follow the lead of Air Canada and other pilot groups to ensure that the industry dictates our working conditions and pay, not the company,” Small observed.
