Canadian airline Air Transat and pilot union reach tentative agreement

Canadian airline Air Transat and pilot union reach tentative agreement

Canadian airline Air Transat and the union representing its pilots announced they reached a tentative agreement, which would avert a strike and suspension of flights.

Air Transat said the proposal would be "submitted to members for ratification in the coming days."

"Our operations are returning to normal," said Air Transat's announcement on Tuesday.

Captain Bradley Small, chair of the Air Transat ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC), said his union's "unity and resolve finally brought Air Transat management to the bargaining table to negotiate in a meaningful way."

More than 750 pilots must now vote on the deal.

The Air Transat Pilot Leaders (ALPA) union and the airline negotiated for 11 months, without reaching an agreement.

That stalemate boiled over on Sunday after 99% of the union's pilots voted to strike. Air Transat then said it would begin scaling back flights in anticipation of the stoppage, set to begin Wednesday.

The union claimed its current contract "lags significantly behind industry standards," but that the tentative agreement would improve job security, compensation, and schedule flexibility for its pilots.

"We recognize that this period caused significant uncertainty, and we offer our sincerest apologies to customers whose travel plans were disrupted in recent days," the Air Transat statement announcing the tentative agreement said.

Our priority now is to rapidly restore our operations and provide you with the best possible service.

This is the second major Canadian airline strike to occur this year.

In August, Air Canada flight attendants went on strike, resulting in hundreds of cancellations and government intervention.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and Air Canada eventually reached a tentative agreement after the appointment of a government mediator.

Source: BBC
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