Air Transat pilots have voted to ratify a new collective agreement that runs until April 2030.
The agreement includes pay increases to align with industry standards and changes aimed at improving efficiency and productivity, according to the company.
“This agreement, beneficial for both parties, acknowledges the progress needed to catch up to the industry and the contribution of our pilots,” said Annick Guérard, president and chief executive officer of Transat. “It also incorporates major improvements in efficiency and productivity, enabling us to continue our growth strategy.”
Air Transat is based in Montreal and operates hubs at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport and Toronto Pearson Airport. The airline employs 5,000 people.
Bradley Small, who chairs the union’s Air Transat contingent, says it was “unfortunate” that the Air Line Pilots Association needed to apply so much pressure, but that the strategy delivered results.
The deal cemented on Tuesday would see senior captains make nearly $388,000 a year by May 2029, while the salary of experienced first officers would top $238,000, according to the tentative contract seen last month by The Canadian Press and voted on over the past two and a half weeks.
Captains would start off at $220,500 in their first year of service and first officers at $85,000. Those two figures represent jumps of roughly 47 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively.
The agreement means an extra $100,000-plus in annual income for the most experienced captains by the time it expires.
It also lays out a signing bonus of 11 per cent of salary, spread over two years.
Representatives from Transat and the Air Line Pilots Association told The Canadian Press last month that the contract includes major gains that put pilots in the same ballpark as their colleagues at Air Canada and WestJet.
In 2024, Air Canada pilots notched a wage hike of nearly 42 per cent over four years. The increase outstrips major gains won the previous year by pilots at the three biggest U.S. airlines, where pay bumps ranged between 34 and 40 per cent — although they were starting from a higher baseline.
In 2023, WestJet pilots secured a 24 per cent pay bump over four years.
The ratification vote opened on Dec. 19, after the union presented the deal to members in Toronto and Montreal.
— with files from the Canadian Press
