Pilots' Strike Averted with Tentative Deal

A last minute agreement between Air Transat and the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA),  the union representing its pilots, has been reached, averting the threatened strike.

The tentative agreement will now go to the more than 750 member pilots for ratification. In the meantime, Air Transat flights will operate as scheduled. Earlier, the airline had begun to cancel flights in anticipation of the strike as to have an "orderly shutdown" of its services.

“We are pleased to have finally reached a tentative agreement with the union representing our pilots, marking a complete overhaul of their collective agreement. We would have greatly preferred to avoid the threat of a strike, which forced us to modify our operations,”  said Annick Guérard, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat. “We are aware that this period has created significant uncertainty, and we extend our sincerest apologies to our customers whose flights were disrupted in recent days. Our priority now is to quickly restore our operations and deliver on our commitment to provide service that meets our standards.”

The pilots’ union had been negotiating for 11 months for an update to the Air Transat pilots’ contract, voting by an overwhelming majority for a strike mandate before  issuing a 72-hour strike notice over the weekend. “Our current pilot contract lags significantly behind industry standards in Canada and North America,” said Capt. Bradley Small, chair of the Air Transat ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC). “We believe this new agreement meets the needs of today’s profession, consistent with collective agreements other ALPA-represented pilot groups are signing with their employers.” 

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