Air Transat starts to cancel flights as strike deadline looms

Air Transat has begun to cancel flights as the clock ticks down on a Wednesday morning strike deadline from pilots near the peak of the holiday travel period.

Travel company Transat A.T. Inc., which owns the Montreal-based leisure airline, said it has cancelled at least a half-dozen flights on Tuesday so far.

The planes were scheduled to fly between Toronto and Cancun, Mexico, Toronto and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, as well as Montreal and Punta Cana.

On Monday, Air Transat arranged four extra flights to ferry some passengers back early from their vacations in Cancun, Punta Cana and Cuba.

Negotiators in Montreal talked into the wee hours about a new contract for the carrier's 750 pilots, who want a deal that boosts wages, job security and quality of life.

"We are working tirelessly and still hope to reach an agreement today in order to minimize disruptions to operations," said Transat spokeswoman Andréan Gagné in an email on Tuesday.

A work stoppage would disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Canadians who fly Air Transat each day, mainly to sun destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe.

Some took the labour dispute in stride.

Ruth Richardson, who travelled to Punta Cana from Toronto's Pearson airport with her husband on Monday, was relieved to be boarding a flight.

She said her travel agent alerted her to the possible disruption and offered to cancel the booking, but she remained unfazed by the prospect of being stuck abroad.

"We're both retired, so if we get a couple more days, then we do," she said.

Kate and Kyle Kelly also flew to Punta Cana on Monday with their two young children.

They were initially worried the trip would be cancelled altogether after they heard about a potential strike, but headlines on Monday morning saying both sides were still at the bargaining table gave them renewed optimism their getaway could go ahead without any turbulence.

Still, they are hoping to avoid the logistical and financial burden of rebooking flights or prolonging their stay overseas.

"I did look up passenger rights just to ensure I knew what we were allowed to do and what the airline had to do, so I feel a little more confident that Air Transat does keep up their end of the bargain," Kyle said.

"It's kind of out of our control," Kate said of the looming strike.

The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents aviators at Air Transat, issued a 72-hour strike notice on Sunday.

Transat responded that cancellations would ramp up ahead of a potential strike or lockout that could kick off as early as 3 a.m. EDT on Wednesday.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz