MONTREAL — Air Transat pilots have escalated their contract campaign with coordinated information picketing on the same day they opened a ballot to strike.

According to the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), hundreds of Air Transat pilots conducted information picketing yesterday, Nov. 17, at three locations: Pierre International Airport in Montreal, Toronto Pearson International Airport in Toronto, and Air Transat’s corporate headquarters in Montreal. They were joined by pilots from Air Canada, WestJet, Jazz, Porter and a dozen U.S. airlines who offered their support.

“We showed today that we are fully prepared to walk out if that’s what it takes to improve our outdated, decade-old contract,” said Capt. Bradley Small, chair of the Air Transat ALPA Master Executive Council. “We demand a modern contract and we hope that management recognizes our resolve and comes back to the table ready to bargain in earnest.”

The pilots entered contract talks with Air Transat in January 2025. After months without a deal, the two sides moved into a conciliation period on Sept. 19, which is expected to end today, Nov. 18. If an agreement is not reached by end of day, a 21-day cooling-off period will begin on Nov. 19. The period would end on Dec. 10, at which point the union could call a strike or the airline could initiate a lockout.

Union leadership asked their members to give them the authority to strike earlier this month. The strike authorization vote will run until Dec. 2. A successful vote would allow the union to call a strike once legally permitted.

The pilots are seeking industry-standard pay and improved working conditions and quality of life. The two sides remain far apart on most key issues, says ALPA, with management bargaining slowly.