Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat announced late on 7 December that it will progressively ground operations on 8-9 December after its 700 pilots served a 72-hour strike notice. Unless a deal is struck, a walk-out could legally begin at 03:00 ET on 10 December, halting services between Montréal/Toronto/Québec City and French cities including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse.
With more than 20,000 seats scheduled during the two-day suspension, mobility managers moving employees between Canadian and French sites face re-routing headaches and potential project delays. Air Transat says it will proactively cancel flights and re-accommodate passengers on partner carriers (Air France, WestJet), but spare capacity is thin during the peak family-travel window.
![Air Transat Grounds Network as Pilots Issue Strike Notice, Jeopardising France–Canada Links]()
Management has offered a 59 % pay rise over five years; the Air Line Pilots Association argues the deal still lags North-American benchmarks. The dispute underscores wage-inflation pressure across the aviation sector and the vulnerability of trans-Atlantic connectivity outside the summer high season.
Companies should review duty-of-care protocols, ensure travellers obtain written confirmation for expense claims, and keep flexible tickets through mid-December. Travellers departing France enjoy EU261 protection, while those leaving Canada fall under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations—differences that corporate travel teams must communicate clearly.
With more than 20,000 seats scheduled during the two-day suspension, mobility managers moving employees between Canadian and French sites face re-routing headaches and potential project delays. Air Transat says it will proactively cancel flights and re-accommodate passengers on partner carriers (Air France, WestJet), but spare capacity is thin during the peak family-travel window.
Management has offered a 59 % pay rise over five years; the Air Line Pilots Association argues the deal still lags North-American benchmarks. The dispute underscores wage-inflation pressure across the aviation sector and the vulnerability of trans-Atlantic connectivity outside the summer high season.
Companies should review duty-of-care protocols, ensure travellers obtain written confirmation for expense claims, and keep flexible tickets through mid-December. Travellers departing France enjoy EU261 protection, while those leaving Canada fall under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations—differences that corporate travel teams must communicate clearly.
