Three things to know about Air Transat flight suspensions ahead of strike deadline

Marty Firestone, president of Travel Secure Inc., says stranded passengers should try to find their own flight arrangements as an Air Transat strike looms.

Air Transat passengers are facing potential flight suspensions as the leisure airline moves to wind down operations in the lead-up to a potential work stoppage.

The Air Line Pilots Association, representing 750 Air Transat pilots, issued a 72-hour strike notice over the weekend, meaning a job action could begin as soon as 3 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

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Here’s what you need to know about the strike deadline and how it could impact travel plans.

When could a strike start?

Travel company Transat A.T. Inc., which owns the carrier, said cancellations would ramp up ahead of the potential work stoppage to ensure a more orderly wind-down process that reduces the chances of customers being stuck at their destinations.

The nearly 40 active planes in Air Transat’s fleet ferry tens of thousands of passengers on more than 500 flights each week.

Even if a strike is short or averted entirely, the spate of scrapped trips it sets off could disrupt the airline’s flight schedule for days, if not longer.

What if my flight gets cancelled?

For passengers with upcoming departures before Dec. 12, Air Transat says it recommends checking the status of a flight before leaving for the airport, and passengers will be notified by email of a cancellation and refunded. For those with departure dates on or after Dec. 13, the airline said usual terms and conditions apply.

If a return flight is cancelled, the airline says passengers will receive a new ticket on the next available flight within 48 hours of the original departure time, if the option exists. If passengers refuse the alternative transportation, Air Transat says they are entitled to a refund for the unused ticket.

Under the current Air Passenger Protection Regulations, cancellations or significant delays linked to a labour disruption are generally treated as events outside the carrier’s control, according to SkyRefund CEO Ivalyo Danailov. This means monetary compensation is usually not available, he said.

What’s are the issues in the contract talks?

The union says it wants a deal that boosts wages, job security, and quality of life beyond what their 10-year-old collective agreement provides.

The two sides have been in Montreal for round-the-clock negotiations over the past week, as the company looks to avert a shutdown on the cusp of the peak holiday travel period. Both sides have accused the other of failing to pull their weight in the bargaining process.

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In its latest annual report last year, Transat noted that the aviation industry is facing pressure from airline pilot unions amid an ongoing labour shortage.

Air Transat pilots voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike if necessary, with ballots cast by 98 per cent of eligible pilots.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2025.