Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat has started a controlled shutdown of its network after the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) served a 72-hour strike notice that expires at 03:00 ET on Wednesday, December 10, 2025. By late morning on December 9 the airline had already cancelled six sun-destination rotations linking Montréal and Toronto with Cancun and Punta Cana, and warned that more cancellations are likely if a last-minute deal is not reached.
The two sides have been negotiating since March over a contract that covers roughly 700 flight-deck crew. ALPA says its members are seeking a “modern contract” that aligns wages and scheduling rules with those at Air Canada and WestJet. Management counters that it has already offered a 59 percent pay increase spread over five years plus improvements to scheduling flexibility. With the busy holiday season only days away, pressure is mounting on both parties to avert a shutdown that could strand tens of thousands of Canadians heading to sun destinations.
![Air Transat Begins Cancelling Flights as 700 Pilots Prepare to Strike on December 10]()
Transat A.T. Inc. has initiated repatriation planning and is working with Air Canada to re-accommodate customers where seats are available. Travellers booked on Air Transat are being advised to check the status of their flights before leaving for the airport and to ensure that any connecting arrangements (such as cruise departures) are protected by travel insurance. Corporations with negotiated Transat fares should activate contingency plans, including authorising higher-cost alternatives on competing carriers or permitting travellers to delay trips until labour stability returns.
From a mobility-program perspective, the disruption highlights the importance of diversified airline agreements and robust duty-of-care tracking. Employers whose assignees use Air Transat for rotational travel to Latin America and the Caribbean may need to arrange interim housing or extend per-diem allowances if return flights are delayed. Payroll departments should budget for potential change-fee or fare-difference charges that employees incur.
Should the strike proceed, analysts estimate that Air Transat could burn through C$5–6 million per day in lost revenue, imperilling recovery efforts after a challenging post-pandemic period. Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan has so far declined to signal whether back-to-work legislation would be considered, but historically Ottawa has intervened only after several days of disruptive industrial action in the federally-regulated air sector.
The two sides have been negotiating since March over a contract that covers roughly 700 flight-deck crew. ALPA says its members are seeking a “modern contract” that aligns wages and scheduling rules with those at Air Canada and WestJet. Management counters that it has already offered a 59 percent pay increase spread over five years plus improvements to scheduling flexibility. With the busy holiday season only days away, pressure is mounting on both parties to avert a shutdown that could strand tens of thousands of Canadians heading to sun destinations.
Transat A.T. Inc. has initiated repatriation planning and is working with Air Canada to re-accommodate customers where seats are available. Travellers booked on Air Transat are being advised to check the status of their flights before leaving for the airport and to ensure that any connecting arrangements (such as cruise departures) are protected by travel insurance. Corporations with negotiated Transat fares should activate contingency plans, including authorising higher-cost alternatives on competing carriers or permitting travellers to delay trips until labour stability returns.
From a mobility-program perspective, the disruption highlights the importance of diversified airline agreements and robust duty-of-care tracking. Employers whose assignees use Air Transat for rotational travel to Latin America and the Caribbean may need to arrange interim housing or extend per-diem allowances if return flights are delayed. Payroll departments should budget for potential change-fee or fare-difference charges that employees incur.
Should the strike proceed, analysts estimate that Air Transat could burn through C$5–6 million per day in lost revenue, imperilling recovery efforts after a challenging post-pandemic period. Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan has so far declined to signal whether back-to-work legislation would be considered, but historically Ottawa has intervened only after several days of disruptive industrial action in the federally-regulated air sector.
