Air Transat continues suspending flights as strike deadline looms

Travel company Transat A.T. Inc., which owns the carrier, said Monday that cancellations would ramp up ahead of a potential work stoppage that could begin as early as 3 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

The leisure airline flies tens of thousands of passengers on more than 500 flights each week to mainly sun destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe.

It scheduled four additional flights on Monday to bring back passengers who were initially scheduled to return Wednesday but worried they could be stranded abroad amid the labour dispute.

Ruth Richardson, who travelled to Punta Cana from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Monday was relieved to be getting on a flight.

She said her travel agent alerted her to the possible disruption and offered to cancel their reservation, but she’s not worried about the possibility of getting stuck abroad.

“We’re both retired, so if we get a couple more days, then we do,” she said.

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

They were initially worried their trip would be cancelled altogether when they heard about possible labour disruptions, but headlines on Monday morning saying both sides were still at the bargaining table gave them some renewed optimism their trip would proceed without any major bumps. 

Still, they are hoping to avoid the logistical and financial burden of having to rebook flights or stay in Punta Cana longer.

“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 a possible strike. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2025.