Name: Air Transat avoids pilot strike with tentative deal
Uploaded: 2025-12-10T04:02:54.521Z
Duration: 2 min
Description: Air Transat and its pilots reached a tentative agreement hours before a strike deadline, which would have put many Canadians’ holiday travel plans in jeopardy.

Air Transat and its pilots reached a tentative agreement hours before a strike deadline, which would have put many Canadians’ holiday travel plans in jeopardy.

Montreal

Air Transat and its pilots union reached a tentative agreement just hours before a strike deadline, preventing the grounding of flights ahead of the busy holiday season. The deal was reached after nearly a year of negotiations aimed at replacing a 2015 contract, with the union seeking wage increases, better benefits, and job security.

Despite the agreement, the uncertainty in recent days led to early vacation returns and the cancellation of more than a dozen flights, causing frustration among travelers. The union has stated that the new contract addresses key priorities, including pay increases and improved work-life balance, and pilots are expected to vote on the deal in the coming days.

Air Transat avoids pilot strike with tentative deal

Now to some breaking news. An Air Transat strike has been averted. The airline and its pilots union reached a tentative agreement late tonight. Jennifer Lagrassa has been tracking this. Jennifer? Yeah, Adrienne. So Air Transat's 750 pilots were just hours away from the strike deadline. That could have seen the airline's planes grounded right before the holidays. That's now all been avoided but not without trouble for some passengers. The uncertainty in recent days did end some vacations early, frustrating travelers. I can't believe it. It was a vacation but now it's finished. It was a lot of stress. The vacation got short and we were expecting something better. With a Wednesday strike deadline looming, Air Transat started bringing people back home early so passengers wouldn't be stranded. It also cancelled more than a dozen flights which will remain grounded despite the deal. The Airline Pilots Association and Air Transat had been in talks for nearly a year to replace their 2015 agreement. The union was asking for wage increases, better benefits and job security. And experts say they had leverage. This is where Canadians are traveling south and it's where they make the majority of their money. Industry experts say the airline is in the hole millions of dollars from the pandemic and overall economic uncertainty. So it really couldn't afford a strike. From a union perspective, it's going to put the most pressure on the airline to create a deal. So huge relief for the passengers at this point. What do we know about what's in that deal though? Yeah, there aren't many details Adrienne but the union says the contract delivers on those key priorities. It says that it offers better job security, pay increases and a more flexible schedule for work-life balance. Pilots will now be voting on that deal in the next few days. Okay, thanks very much Jennifer. Jennifer Lagrassa here in Toronto.

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