Air Transat pilots gear up for strike as union issues 72-hour notice

Air Transat pilots could be on the picket line as soon as Wednesday as their union gave notice to the company following an overwhelming vote a few days earlier supporting a strike mandate.

The Air Line Pilots Association says it issued a 72-hour strike notice to airline management, with a potential strike set to begin at 3 a.m. Eastern standard time on Wednesday.

“There is still time to avoid a strike, but unless significant progress is made at the bargaining table, we will strike if that’s what it takes to achieve a modern contract,” said Capt. Bradley Small, chair of the Air Transat Master Executive Council.

According to ALPA, 98 per cent of eligible Transat pilots cast ballots in the recent strike-mandate vote, with 99 per cent voting “yes” to strike, if necessary.

Pilots opened a “strike centre” in Montreal last month and held information pickets in the city and in Toronto.

The pilot’s previous collective agreement, which had been in place for a decade, expired in April this year. The union says wages at the airline have suffered due to the lack of a new collective agreement.

Negotiations between the airline and the union began in January, with both parties entering conciliation in September. An agreement was not reached by the Nov. 18 deadline, which kicked off a 21-day cooling off period that expires on Dec. 10.

“No pilot wants to strike, but Air Transat management has left us no choice,” Small said. “Months of unproductive bargaining ends now. If we cannot reach an agreement, management will be responsible for every cancelled flight and stranded passenger.”

Air Transat said in a news release Sunday that it’s priority is to minimize disruptions for passengers, but noted its flights will be gradually suspended starting Tuesday.

The airline said people whose flights are cancelled will be informed of what measures are in place to assist them.

That includes a “flexibility policy” for those travelling in the next five days, allowing them to change or postpone their trips at no added cost.

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People with a flight scheduled on or before Dec. 12 will receive an email if their flight is cancelled and the airline will issue a refund to the payment method on fire. Those who wish to cancel now can also use an online form and will receive a credit valid for 12 months.

The airline also has procedures in place for those already on their trip, including receiving a new ticket on the next available flight if their flight is scheduled for Dec. 12 or earlier.

Those with flights booked for Dec. 13 or later are advised they can consult, modify or cancel their trip at any time directly online, but the bookings remain subject to the airline’s regular terms and conditions.

If pilots do begin their strike, it will be the latest in major stoppages in the past year, with Air Canada flight attendants going on strike in August. That three-day strike affected 500,000 passengers, the airline said.

It was ended after the union reached a tentative agreement with the airline gradually restarting operations the same day.

Both Air Canada and WestJet averted their own pilots’ strikes in 2024 with last-minute deals.

Earlier this week, Porter Airlines and WestJet said they will continue to monitor the situation at Air Transat, but did not say whether they plan to adjust operations to accommodate the airline’s passengers affected by a work stoppage during the holidays.

Air Canada said its also monitoring the situation, but added “our planes are usually quite full” around the holiday season.

—with files from Global News’ Uday Rana

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