Air Transat Strikes Deal with Flight Attendant Union

Air Transat has reached a new tentative agreement with the union representing its 2,100 flight attendants, the carrier said on Monday morning.

The agreement will now be presented to members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the union representing the attendants. Air Transat said that the deal, a five-year contract, will take effect once accepted by members.

The news comes just a few days after CUPE members rejected a different tentative agreement last week. Air Transat would not comment on details of Monday’s agreement, but last week’s rejected proposal would have given cabin crew pay increases of about 18% over five years.

Air Transat said that it is “confident” that the new deal will be approved by CUPE members.

“We are happy to have concluded a new tentative agreement that satisfies both parties and that will enable Air Transat to remain competitive. In response to the unforeseen rejection of the first tentative agreement last week, we immediately returned to the bargaining table to explore all possible solutions. We are confident that this new offer will meet our flight attendants’ expectations and will adequately reflect their interests,” said Julie Lamontagne, Chief People, Communications and Sustainability Officer of Transat.

If approved, the deal would stop any worries of a strike by Air Transat flight attendants—CUPE is required to give 72 hours notice before striking, which it could have done as its members voted to authorize a strike mandate in November.