Air Transat Pilots Move Toward Strike Vote

Negotiations between Air Transat and its pilots have reached a breaking point, with ALPA announcing plans to seek strike authorization if no deal is reached by December 10.

Represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), Air Transat’s 700 pilots say progress at the bargaining table has been “frustratingly slow.” 

According to ALPA, the airline has spent minimal time negotiating and taken months to submit counterproposals, further widening the gap between the two sides.

“Our pilots have carried this airline through a decade of challenges, often at the expense of their own quality of life,” said Capt. Bradley Small, chair of the Air Transat Master Executive Council (MEC). 

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“The result is that our members are still stuck with outdated working conditions and some of the weakest benefits in the industry.”

Small said the pilots’ goal is not special treatment, but parity with their peers across the industry. 

“We lag behind our peers in virtually every aspect of pay, benefits, and job security,” he said. “This is not about special treatment. It’s about catching up to 2025. It’s time to modernize the contract.”

Contract negotiations between ALPA and Air Transat began in January 2025, with the two parties entering conciliation on September 19. That process is expected to continue until November 18, followed by a 21-day cooling-off period beginning November 21.

“We do not want to strike—we want a modern contract that reflects the work we do,” said Small. “But if a walkout is what it takes, we are ready to do it, and we’re confident that our 700 members will overwhelmingly give us that authority.”

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