Air Transat pilots voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike mandate as contract talks with the airline continue to stall. So what does this mean for passengers as we head into the holiday travel season?
CityNews spoke with Gábor Lukács, president of Air Passenger Rights, to break down what protections passengers actually have.
If a strike or lockout does happen, what could passengers expect, cancellations, delays, rebooking issues?
“In terms of a strike, passengers’ flights are likely to be cancelled. Passengers need to know that there is a significant difference between your flight being cancelled pre-emptively in anticipation of a strike while the labour force is still there, such cancellations are within the carriers’ control and cancellations during a strike once the workers have walked off the job, which are deemed under Canada’s backward, inferior air passenger protection regulations to be outside the carriers’ control, like a snowstorm.
“For pre-emptive cancellations, the airline has to pay compensation to passengers up to $1,000 per passenger and has to rebook them on their own or partner airlines. And if that is not possible, then they have to buy the passenger a ticket on a competitor airline.
“For situations outside the carriers’ control, there is no lump-sum compensation, no meals and accommodation are owed which would be owed in a pre-emptive cancellation case and the airline’s obligation is to rebook the passengers on their own or partner airlines to depart within 48 hours, or else to rebook the passenger on the next available flight of any carrier, including competitors. Airlines really hate to comply with this obligation. We have seen this past summer at Air Canada, which simply refused to comply with this obligation, and then passengers who purchased tickets on their own had to seek reimbursement, although Air Canada promised to pay. So passengers facing this situation, if Air Transat refuses to rebook them or says, ‘We cannot rebook you,’ should buy themselves a ticket on another airline and then make Air Transat pay for it later.”
For people with upcoming Air Transat flights, what steps should they be taking today to protect themselves?
“The first step is to demand from the airline to rebook you in accordance with air passenger protection regulations. And if Air Transat, as I fear and expect, is going to say nothing or “no,” then you buy yourself a ticket on a competitor airline if needed and make Air Transat pay for the expense.”
Talks began in January
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) says 98 per cent of eligible pilots cast ballots, giving the union the option to strike after a 21-day cooling-off period ends Dec. 10, or for the company to impose a lockout.
Talks began in January and left conciliation on Nov. 18.
The union says pilots are seeking job security, improved working conditions and better quality of life, while Air Transat maintains that “significant progress” has been made at the bargaining table.
The strike mandate comes as Air Transat faces ongoing financial pressure, competition in the vacation market, engine recalls grounding part of its fleet, and renewed demands from major shareholder Pierre Karl Péladeau for a strategic overhaul.
