Air Transit pilots vote to ratify new five-year deal
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Air Transat pilots have voted to approve a new five-year employment contract with the airline after first reaching a tentative agreement in December and avoiding a strike.
The company and its pilots reached a temporary agreement last month, hours before the pilots went on strike. The work interruption may have occurred just before the busy holiday travel period.
A News release From Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents Air Transat pilots, said 98 percent voted on the deal, with 91 percent voting in favor of the agreement.
The union said the five-year deal begins on May 1, 2025, and will end on April 30, 2030.
“Our pilots came together with professionalism and purpose to secure an agreement that reflects who we are and the essential role we play in the success of our airline,” Capt. Bradley Small, president of the Air Transit ALPA Master Executive Council, said in the union statement.
Air Transit also confirmed the deal in a news release.
Air Transat and the union representing about 750 of its pilots have called off the strike and reached a temporary agreement, the leisure airline’s parent company said Tuesday evening. Neither the company nor the union released details of the tentative agreement.
Annick Guérard, President and CEO of Transat, said, “We are pleased with the favorable vote, which confirms the comprehensive changes to our pilots’ collective agreement.” a written statement,
Guérard said the new deal recognizes the contributions of the company’s pilots while improving “efficiency and productivity.”
“We want to thank our customers for their loyalty and trust despite this brief period of uncertainty,” Guérard said.
ALPA was seeking a new agreement that would boost wages, job security and quality of life for Air Transat pilots, especially after pilots won gains in recent years at other Canadian airlines, including WestJet and Air Canada.
After announcing a temporary deal last month, the small Said New conditions met ““Other ALPA-represented pilot groups are signing collective agreements with their employers, tailored to the needs of today’s profession.”
Air Transit canceled some flights as a precautionary measure last month when it looked like a shutdown was imminent, causing inconvenience to some passengers, but quickly resumed flights after the strike was averted.
