Some travellers may be feeling anxious as another strike threatens to disrupt flights.
Air Transat announced on Sunday it will gradually shut down operations over the next three days in response to a 72-hour strike mandate issued by the union representing its 750 pilots. This comes just a few months after Air Canada grounded flights as some 10,000 flight attendants went on strike in August.
Air Transat pilots could be on strike as soon as Wednesday at 3 a.m. ET, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said Sunday. Meanwhile, Air Transat says flights will be gradually suspended between Monday and Tuesday, while its priority is to “minimize disruption for customers.”
“Any strike action is hugely disruptive. At this time of year, people will be flying to visit friends and relatives and of course passengers will be worried about their ability to be with loved ones,” Geraint Harvey, an expert on labour relations in commercial aviation at Western University in London, Ont., said in a statement Monday.
But where does that leave travellers? Let’s break it down.
WATCH | Flights scaled back:
Air Transat begins scaling back flights after union issues strike notice
Some Air Transat flights having already been cancelled Monday morning, as the airline begins to scale back operations ahead of a pilot strike that could begin as early as Wednesday at 3 a.m. ET.
What will happen to flights?
Air Transat says flight cancellations will begin progressively on Monday, with a complete suspension by Tuesday. Essentially, if you’re flying on Air Transat between now and Friday, your travel plans may be affected, the airline says.
“The company deeply regrets the impact this disruption will have on travellers during this busy period,” the airline says on it website.
On its website, Air Transat says it flies year-round out of Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City. It also offers seasonal service to various destinations, including Edmonton, Fredericton, Halifax, Hamilton, Kelowna, London, Moncton, Ottawa, Regina, Rouyn, Saskatoon, St. John’s, Windsor and Winnipeg.
According to Air Transat’s website, if your flight is cancelled, you will be notified directly by email and refunded according to the payment method on file.
The company’s priority is to bring travellers back home from their destinations, the airline explained in a statement to CBC News. To that end, it’s adding four additional flights on Monday to bring some travellers back early, Air Transat says.
How many flights have been cancelled so far?
In a statement, Air Transat said that for now, flights scheduled for Monday are operating as planned.
A quick glance at the websites of all the Canadian airports Transat flies in and out of on Monday morning showed a few scheduled Transat flight cancellations over the next two days, although it’s unclear whether they’re related to the labour action.
At Toronto’s Pearson airport, for instance, a flight to Edmonton today was cancelled, one to Cancun and another from Cancun were cancelled on Tuesday, and an arriving flight from Ottawa today is cancelled.
In Montreal, a flight to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, has been called off Tuesday, and an incoming flight from Varadero, Cuba, is cancelled on Monday.
Air Transat encourages any passengers to check their flight status.
The nearly 40 planes in Air Transat’s fleet ferry tens of thousands of passengers on more than 500 flights each week. Even if a strike is short or averted entirely, the spate of scrapped trips it sets off could disrupt the airline’s flight schedule for days, if not longer.
“There is usually space on flights to accommodate some passengers, but this is likely to cause inconvenience at the very least,” said Harvey, with Western University.
WATCH | Anxious travellers:
Travellers anxiously wait as Air Transat warns of flight suspensions
Air Transat says it will begin suspending flights on Monday, followed by a complete suspension on Tuesday in response to a 72-hour strike mandate issued by the union representing its pilots.
What kind of flexibility is Air Transat offering?
On its website, the airline says it is implementing a flexibility policy for customers travelling within the next five days that allows them to change or postpone their travels at no additional cost.
Customers will have to fill in a form on the Air Transat website to cancel. They further explain that customers will get a credit on their file, valid for 12 months, and it will appear on their file within 12 to 48 hours of making the cancellation.
However, if you booked through a travel agency, Transat says to contact that agency directly.
If you booked an entire Air Transat vacation package and the vacation has not yet started, Air Transat says the booking will be cancelled, and you will be refunded according to the payment method on file.
If you’re looking to change or cancel a flight on or after Dec. 13, Air Transat says the booking remains subject to the airline’s usual terms and conditions.
Air Transat pilots and members of the Air Line Pilots Association are seen talking at the Air Transat Pilot Strike Centre in Montreal on Dec. 3, following a 99 per cent vote in favour of a strike mandate. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)
What happens if there’s a full strike?
It would start as early as Wednesday morning. Although the union, ALPA, notes it’s tentative.
“There is still time to avoid a strike but unless significant progress is made at the bargaining table, we will strike if that’s what it takes to achieve a modern contract,” Capt. Bradley Small, chair of the Air Transat Master Executive Council, said in a statement on Sunday.
If pilots do walk off the job on Wednesday, Air Transat says it “will do everything possible to assist customers in returning to their point of origin.”
“This would include the offer of a new ticket on a next available flight if such an option exists within 48 hours of the original departure time, or the refund of any unused portion of the trip,” the Air Transat website explains.
For those who booked a vacation package and find themselves stuck at their destination, Transat says it will cover any additional costs incurred.
“In the event of refusal of the alternative proposed by Air Transat, travellers will be entitled to a refund for any unused portion of the trip,” the airline explains.
WATCH | Air Transat’s VP on flight disruptions:
Air Transat VP on flight disruptions, contract talks with pilots
Dave Bourdages, vice-president of flight operations at Air Transat, took questions Monday about the state of contract talks with pilots, who issued a 72-hour notice Sunday, and flight operations as the company prepared for possible disruptions later this week.
Can passengers be compensated?
Under the current Air Passenger Protection Regulations, cancellations or significant delays linked to a labour disruption are generally treated as events outside the carrier’s control, according to Ivalyo Danailov, CEO of SkyRefund, a passenger rights organization.
This means monetary compensation is usually not available.
But the organization argues that Air Transat’s decision to pre-emptively cancel flights in anticipation of a strike that has not yet started is a business decision “over which Air Transat has full control, and it is not required for safety reasons.”
Your rights depend on your itinerary, and whether you or the airline cancelled your flight, the organization writes in a blog post.
Karl Moore, airline expert and associate professor at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, told CBC News Network the airline has a responsibility to find you another seat in a reasonable amount of time, and if that seat costs more, it must pay the difference.
“Hang in there and make sure the airline steps up to the plate and does what it’s required to do by the government,” Moore said.
Where are negotiations now?
Air Transat and ALPA are aiming to replace an agreement that was negotiated in 2015 and expired at the end of April. Among the issues at play are wages, benefits, work rules and job security, according to the union.
Both the union and the airline said Monday that progress is being made. The two parties, which began talks toward a new collective agreement in January, have both said they are negotiating around the clock.
“We are working tirelessly and still hope to reach an agreement during the day to minimize operational disruptions,” said Andréan Gagné, the senior director of communications, public affairs and corporate responsibility at Air Transat, in an email to CBC News.
Capt. Tim Perry, the president of the ALPA, told CBC News Network on Monday they were negotiating late into the night and early morning but that there are still some “significant issues” in the offer.
“We don’t want to go on strike,” Perry said. “We understand everyone wants to get where they need to go.”
WATCH | Union leader takes questions:
Union leader takes questions about state of talks with Air Transat
Capt. Tim Perry, Canada president of the Air Line Pilots’ Association, took questions Monday about the state of talks between pilots and Air Transat, which is set to begin a gradual shutdown of operations ahead of a potential strike.
