Travellers looking to escape the chill of Toronto may have their plans upended as Air Transat grounds flights in preparation for a pilot strike taking flight.
The Air Line Pilots Association, representing 750 Air Transat pilots, announced its plans to go on strike as early as Wednesday morning after its members “overwhelmingly” voted in favour of one, with ballots cast by 98 per cent of eligible pilots.
“This vote sends an undeniable message to Air Transat management: We are unified, resolute and have earned a contract that reflects today’s industry standards, not the standards from 2015,” Bradley Small, who chairs the union’s Air Transat group, said in a release, adding pilots are “tired” of working under a decade-old agreement.
Air Transat, which mainly services destinations in the Caribbean and Europe, operates more than 500 flights weekly, according to figures from aviation data platforms Cirium and ch-aviation.
The Montreal-based company noted in a release that operations “will be disrupted until an agreement is reached.”
“This notice compels us to implement an action plan that includes the gradual and orderly shutdown of our operations over the next three days,” the release reads.
“Negotiations are ongoing, and our goal remains to reach an agreement so we can maintain our flights as much as possible and minimize disruptions for you.”
If you are concerned about your Air Transat travels this month, we want to hear from you.
Has your trip already been impacted and if so, how? What backup plans have you considered so your holiday vacations can still take off?
Share your story by emailing us at torontonews@bellmedia.ca with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a future story.
With files from The Canadian Press
