People walk by Air Transat signage at the Montreal Airport on Monday. On Tuesday, the airline began cancelling some of its 30 scheduled flights for the day.Andrej Ivanov/The Globe and Mail
Air Transat TRZ-T cancelled a second wave of flights on Tuesday afternoon as contract talks continued ahead of a Wednesday strike deadline set by the union representing its 750 pilots.
The Montreal-based leisure carrier has increased its list of cancelled flights by 12, for a total of 18, scrubbing routes to Europe and Peru in addition to the Caribbean.
Transat AT, the airline’s operator, said it is adding flights and capacity on some routes to bring home customers as it prepares to wind down operations. “We understand that this situation may cause inconvenience and uncertainty,” Transat said on its website.
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Transat spokeswoman Alex-Anne Carrier said company negotiators have made concessions in an improved offer to the Air Line Pilots Association today. But without an agreement the airline is forced to take new steps to suspend operations, she said.
“We remain at the bargaining table and still hope to reach an agreement during the day to minimize further disruptions to operations, for our passengers and their travel plans,” Ms. Carrier said.
The airline and the union have been in talks for almost a year, trying to reach a tentative agreement to replace one struck in 2015. Pilots are seeking better pay and working conditions in line with contracts reached by their counterparts at Air Canada and other airlines.
“We owe it to our passengers and pilots to reach a deal,” said union leader Bradley Small. “We are committed to negotiating a fair and modern contract that will bring stability to our pilots and our airline.”
Before the cancellations, Air Transat was scheduled to fly 30 flights on Tuesday, 47 on Wednesday, and 55 on Thursday, according to aviation data company Cirium.
Passengers whose flights are cancelled are entitled to refunds or credits.
The airline flew four repatriation flights on Monday and used four planes with extra capacity on Tuesday morning to accommodate returning travellers. Another three such flights for Tuesday were among those cancelled, Ms. Carrier said.
John Gradek, who teaches aviation leadership at McGill University, said all outbound flights will be cancelled by tonight as the airline scrambles to repatriate customers. However, there is not enough capacity at Transat and other carriers to get everyone back, he said, with as many as 6,000 Transat customers travelling each day.
“It’s a bit of a mess,” Mr. Gradek said.
Air Transat dispute reflects a wider push for wage equality
Transat is a leisure-focused airline that also sells tour packages. It has not had a profitable year since 2018, when it made $10-million. The company’s share price on the Toronto Stock Exchange has fallen by 57 per cent over the past five years.
Air Canada pilots in 2024 approved a four-year collective agreement that provided raises of 42 per cent.
Transat pilots in the middle of the seniority list make about $200,000 a year, compared with $300,000 at Air Canada, Mr. Gradek said. Air Transat, as a second-tier carrier, cannot afford the higher wages and faces an “existential crisis” bargaining with a union demanding large raises, he said. “This will make or break the airline.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the last collective agreement was reached in 2025. It was struck in 2015.