Air Transat this month launches two routes from London to Quebec. This week it relaunched its popular route from London Gatwick to Montreal for the first time since 2019. Air Transat will initially offer three flights a week before ramping up to a daily service by the middle of summer. On 12 May, Air Transat will launch the UK’s first non-stop Quebec City flight with a weekly service from London Gatwick. In addition, Air Transat has increased its London Gatwick to Toronto service from three times a week to daily, with plans to fly twice daily by mid-summer. In Montreal and Toronto, passengers can also connect to onward services to other destinations in Air Transat’s network including Quebec City, Calgary and Vancouver. Sonia Kurek, Commercial Director UK & Ireland for Air Transat, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming British travellers back and we’re confident that Quebec City will enchant visitors.” Passengers travelling from London Gatwick will fly on Air Transat’s all-Airbus fleet, including the new A321neoLR aircraft, which has the lowest environmental impact in its class. In an effort to offer more flexibility to customers, Air Transat is expanding its conditions for changing and cancelling bookings in both Economy and Club Class fares. It is now possible to cancel a trip, regardless of the chosen fare.

Air Transat announced three new partner airlines to connectair by Air Transat. In partnership with Dohop, Azores Airlines, Loganair, and SKY express were added to the platform. Customers can now book more than 240 additional destinations. Launched in November 2021, connectair by Air Transat is Dohop’s latest airline-owned virtual interline platform. With existing partnerships with carriers such as easyJet, Vueling, Avianca, and Pascan, the platform already offers connected journeys throughout Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. Passengers can book connecting flights across airline networks, including ancillaries, in a single booking. Dohop services the connection in case of delays and disruptions, while airlines retain customer ownership. “Air Transat’s continued focus on expanding its network through virtual interline is a testimony to its forward-thinking. We are delighted to be the facilitator,” said Sarah Hanan, Commercial Director at Dohop.

Canada’s Air Transat is upgrading its in-flight meal offering, which offers new options to both Club and Economy Class passengers traveling to and from the UK. The new offering allows Club Class passengers to choose between the ‘breakfast’ or ‘lunch and dinner' hot meals, depending on their flight departure time. The breakfast menu consists of a main course with croissant, bowl of fruit, yoghurt and juice, while the lunch and dinner menu comprises of a main course with salad, bread, dessert and glass of wine. Additionally, passengers travelling in Economy Class now have a choice of two complimentary hot meals. Each hot meal is served with a salad, sweet snack and glass of wine or non-alcoholic drink. Sonia Kurek, Commercial Director UK, Ireland and GSA markets, Air Transat, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer these new in-flight menus as we restore and expand the choice of flights we offer from the UK to Canada.” In May, Air Transat will launch services from London Gatwick to Montreal, and the UK’s first ever route to Quebec City with a weekly flight from Gatwick. Air Transat already offers regular direct services from London Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow to Toronto, with onward connecting services to Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver.

Air Transat inviting Brits to take advantage of special sale fares the airline has launched today. Air Transat is offering special return fares from London Gatwick to Toronto from £349, from London Gatwick to Montreal and Quebec City from £359. There are also sales fares from Manchester to Toronto from £389, and from Glasgow to Toronto from £369. The See it for Real Promo, which runs until 7 April, 2022, offers reduced prices for passengers booking flights on the airline’s services between the UK and Canada for travel on selected dates between 1 May and 31 October, 2022. Air Transat offers regular direct services from London Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow to Toronto, with onward connecting services to Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver. In May, Air Transat launches services from Gatwick to Montreal, the UK’s first ever route to Quebec City with a weekly flight. Fares can be booked with flexibility and no change fees. If travel plans change, the date and destination of the booking can be changed at no charge up to 24 hours before departure. Passengers need only to pay the fare difference, if any.

Canada’s Air Transat has relaunched its Star Rewards agent incentive programme. The incentive enables travel agents to receive cash rewards for every passenger booked by 14 April, 2022 on an Air Transat flight from the UK. Agents who book Eco Standard tickets will receive a £10 shopping voucher, and those who book Eco Flex or Club Class fares receive a £20 shopping voucher for each passenger booked. Agents can use the vouchers from the Star Rewards on thousands of gifts and experiences. These range from weekend breaks and luxury hotel stays, to gadgets and beauty products, and vouchers for high street stores. Star Rewards incentives are available for bookings made by travel agents on Air Transat’s flights from London Gatwick to Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City, and from Manchester and Glasgow to Toronto, along with onward services to Calgary and Vancouver. Sonia Kurek, Commercial Director, UK and Ireland, at Air Transat, said: “We are excited to again be able to offer UK travel agents the popular Star Rewards programme. “The travel trade are highly valued partners for Air Transat. We plan to roll out further trade promotions throughout 2022."

Canadian carriers Air Transat and Porter Airlines have agreed a codesharing pact to help boost connectivity and speed up the recovery for both airlines. It begins by connecting Porter Airlines’ flight schedules at its Toronto Billy Bishop Airport and Halifax Airport to Air Transat’s hub in Montreal. The codesharing will start this summer. It allows customers to combine journeys on both carriers within a single ticket and one-time baggage check. “The introduction of seamless access to international markets, where Air Transat has made its mark, is an especially great benefit for our passengers, ”saidPorter Airlines chief Michael Deluce.

International cruise ship calls are returning to Canada after more than two years. Canada’s Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced the ban is ending and Caribbean Princess will be the first call in Victoria, BC on April 6. Cruise lines must follow strict guidelines to operate in Canadian waters. It includes Covid-19 testing and reporting,, and all eligible passengers and crew must be fully jabbed. “Our government continues to work hard to restart our economy. We welcome cruise ships—an important part of our tourism sector—back to Canada, and we will continue working with partners to support this important industry,” Alghabra said. It is the result of many months’ discussions with Transport Canada,-health officials and cruise lines. Despite allowing cruising to return, the government still noted the risks of cruise vacations. “Covid-19 can spread easily between people in close quarters on board ships, and the chance of being infected on cruise ships is very high, even if you have completed a vaccine series,” it said in a travel advisory. Canada’s cruise ship industry brings in about $4 billion, and generates over 30,000 jobs.

Canadian airlines Air Transat and WestJet, will cooperate in a codeshare pact that allows customers to book transatlantic travel involving both carriers on a single ticket with through-checked bags. "We are very excited to join forces with WestJet in what I am sure will be a successful collaboration. This agreement is a first milestone to grow and strengthen our network through alliances ", said Annick Guérard, President and CEO of Transat. WestJet's code will be placed on Air Transat flights to select cities across Europe, and Air Transat's code will be placed on select WestJet flights in North America to enable both carriers to offer the connecting transatlantic itineraries. The codeshare agreement is scheduled to be implemented in early 2022, subject to usual regulatory approvals. The airlines will update customers with details once finalised.

Starting November 7, 2017, Air Transat passengers who check in online for their flights have the option to receive their boarding passes electronically on their mobile devices. Passengers who choose this option are therefore able to go through security checkpoints and board their flights without a paper boarding pass. The Air Transat electronic boarding pass is an image of a two-dimensional bar code containing the same flight information as that featured on the Air Transat boarding pass provided at the check-in counter or self-service airport kiosk. The electronic boarding pass will be sent by text message (SMS) or by email directly to the passenger’s mobile device.iOS device users can add their boarding passes to Apple’s Wallet app. The electronic boarding pass option will be offered for most of Air Transat’s flights. Starting November 7, passengers will be able to use an electronic boarding pass at the airports of the following cities:

• Canada: Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Quebec, Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria
• United States: Fort Lauderdale, Orlando
• Europe: London(Gatwick), Manchester, Paris, Malaga

Since this service will be activated gradually, other cities will be regularly added to this list. Please note that there will be no electronic boarding pass option in countries where online check-in is not offered (Haiti, Portugal, Nicaragua).

Air Transat, named the 2018 World’s Best Leisure Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards, adds to its family program by unveiling a new Kids Club livery and a new kids’ meal to make travelling more fun for all its passengers, big and small. For more than 12 years, the Air Transat Kids Club has been welcoming mini-globetrotters aged 2 to 11 for free, offering them members’ kits filled with travel goodies, priority airport services, on-board surprises and more. “At Air Transat, we always have the needs of families at heart,” says Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer at Transat. “We have been accompanying them on their dreams and holidays for more than 30 years. We understand their expectations, care about their well-being and do everything possible to make their lives easier, from the moment they arrive at the airport to the time they reach their final destinations. “As a company that specializes in holiday travel, our concern for families is evident in many ways, mainly in the little extras from a crew who fully understands their needs and wants to ensure that their vacations start as soon as they board.”

A new livery, a new meal, and much more!

Families may have the opportunity to travel aboard an Airbus A321 adorned with the Air Transat Kids Club smiley face and googlie eyes. This aircraft will surely bring a smile to the faces of both kids and their parents. In addition, to satiate the big appetites of its mini-passengers, Air Transat is introducing a new kids’ meal, free on transatlantic flights*. Served on a tray with the Kids Club colours, the meal will consist of mac and cheese with apple sauce, cookies and juice—all kids’ favourites! The on-board surprises will also be revamped. As a holiday airline dedicated to offering the very best in family vacations, Air Transat showcases its Kids Club in its latest ad. Lastly, Air Transat would like to remind families that it offers free and automated standard seat assignments to ensure that kids 12 and under are seated with their parents. Kids Club advantages Here are the many perks offered to Kids Club members and their families:

• A member’s kit filled with cool travel goodies
• Free standard seat selection for members on their roundtrip flights
• A family check-in counter for speedier service
• Priority boarding for the whole family, in Economy Class
• On-board surprises to make flying fun
• Priority baggage handling
• Stroller gate delivery service
• And much more!

 

We know that this crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty and has had some serious repercussions on your daily life. Even as the situation changes rapidly from day to day, the well-being of our customers remains a top priority. That’s why we’d like to share with you all the efforts we’ve made in repatriating our passengers, as well as the concrete measures we’ve put in place in these exceptional circumstances. On a more personal note, I’ve been in the tourism industry for over 40 years, and having people travel and discover other cultures has been my life. Surrounded by an experienced and passionate team, I’ve weathered many storms since I founded Transat, and I can say one thing with confidence: our experience and resilience will help us overcome this crisis and emerge stronger than ever. Our repatriation flights will continue until April 1 As you may know, we have begun the gradual suspension of our flights, until the temporary cessation of our operations on April 1. It was important for us that this slowdown happen gradually, to allow as many travellers as possible to be repatriated to their countries of origin. To date, our repatriation flights have brought approximately 46,000 customers back home, and this number will continue to rise in the coming days. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our flight crews who, under these stressful and difficult conditions, continue their extraordinary efforts to reassure our passengers and reunite them with their loved ones. To support the repatriation efforts of Canadians currently abroad, we will also be operating special flights over the next few days in collaboration with the Government of Canada. We would like to remind you that all our flights are carried out in strict compliance with the recommendations of the Public Health Agency of Canada in order to avoid the spread of the virus. All our passengers must also place themselves in isolation for a period of 14 days upon arrival in Canada. Our teams are dedicated to providing quality service to our customers We know that some of you may have had to wait a long time on the phone or on social media in the last few days. We sincerely apologize for the longer-than-usual wait times. However, I want to assure you that our customer service agents are working hard to answer your questions as quickly as possible. Overall, our agents have responded to more than 120,000 phone calls and social media messages since this crisis began. I also invite you to read the latest updates about our operations on our website and social media. Although it is still too early to make any statements about what will happen next or what the full extent of the consequences of this pandemic will be, we are confident that our operations will resume shortly. In these difficult times, our hearts go out to all of you. We know that you’re going through a situation that none of us have experienced before. I hope you will get through it with your loved ones, in good health. And I sincerely hope that the time will soon come when the joy of vacationing will once again brighten your everyday. Take good care of yourselves. Jean-Marc Eustache President and Chief Executive Officer

We know that sometimes plans change due to unforeseen events like coronavirus (COVID-19). Let’s take care of life’s unpredictability, so you can book with complete peace of mind. In order to offer our customers more flexibility and allow them to book their next trip with peace of mind, we now offer the possibility of changing travel dates, destination or hotel —or all three—at no charge. This policy applies to new bookings for flights on all routes offered by Air Transat and South packages made between March 4 and March 31, 2020 for travel between now and October 31, 2020. As a result, it will be possible for travellers to change their booking up to 24 hours before departure. Note that travel must be completed within 12 months of the original travel date and that if the price for the new booking is higher, customers must pay the difference. The policy excludes group bookings and cancellation requests are subject to the terms and conditions. Please note that Air Transat’s flight operations are currently operating normally. Your safety is our top priority, which is why we are closely monitoring the progress of the coronavirus (COVID-19).