by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 11:00 AM ET, Wed December 3, 2025
Air Transat’s pilot group has issued a resounding warning ahead of one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate, raising the stakes in ongoing contract negotiations with the Montreal-based carrier.
According to a statement from ALPA, 99% of Air Transat’s more than 700 unionized pilots voted to authorize strike action if necessary.
RELATED: Air Transat Pilots Move Toward Strike Vote
“The results are in, and they are nothing short of decisive: out of the 98% of eligible pilots who voted, an extraordinary 99% of pilots voted YES to strike, if necessary,” the union said.
“This overwhelming vote sends a clear message to management: our pilot group is unified, determined, and prepared for job action if the company does not provide us with a modern contract,” the statement continued.
RELATED: Union is ‘Not walking away’ as Transat Pilots’ Contract Talks Stall
The mandate positions pilots to walk off the job as early as next week, coinciding with the lead-up to the holiday travel season.
Air Transat acknowledged the vote but stressed that operations remain unaffected for now. “At this time, our operations are running normally,” the carrier said in a statement to Global News.
RELATED: Air Transat Pilots "Ready to Fight", Issuing Notice to Negotiate
The escalation comes after months of stalled bargaining. Negotiations began in January, followed by conciliation in September. When no deal was reached by the Nov. 18 conciliation deadline, a 21-day cooling-off period was triggered — one that ends on Dec. 10.
Pilots have already ramped up pressure, launching a “strike centre” in Montreal and conducting picketing in both Montreal and Toronto.
At the heart of the dispute are compensation concerns and what the union calls an outdated collective agreement. The previous contract, in place for a decade, expired in April. ALPA says pilot wages have eroded and the current agreement “lags significantly behind industry standards in Canada and North America.”
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“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).
With just days remaining before a potential strike window opens, travellers and industry stakeholders will be watching closely as both sides attempt to reach a last-minute deal.
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.”
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