MONTREAL — Air Transat pilots are set to vote on a strike mandate after contract talks with the airline stalled.

The pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), will ask their members to give them the authority to strike if an agreement isn’t reached by Dec. 10.

Negotiations between Air Transat and its pilot group began in January and have been under conciliation since Sept. 19. The process is expected to continue until Nov. 18, followed by a 21-day cooling-off period starting November 21.

According to ALPA, discussions have been slow-moving, with the company spending minimal time at the bargaining table and taking months to submit counterproposals. Pilot leaders say the lack of progress has widened the gap between their push for industry-standard pay and working conditions and what they describe as inadequate offers from the company.

“Our pilots have carried this airline through a decade of challenges, often at the expense of their own quality of life. The result is that our members are still stuck with outdated working conditions and some of the weakest benefits in the industry,” said Air Transat MEC chair Capt. Bradley Small.

“We lag behind our peers in virtually every aspect of pay, benefits and job security. This is not about special treatment – it’s about catching up to 2025. It’s time to modernize the contract,” he added.

Small insisted that he and his fellow pilots do not want to strike and that they simply want a modern contract that reflects the work that they do. “But if a walkout is what it takes, we are ready to do it and we’re confident that our 700 members will overwhelmingly give us that authority.”

Profession Voyages, Travelweek Group’s French-language travel trade news source, reached out to Air Transat for comment. Their statement is as follows:

“Negotiations with ALPA are a priority for Transat, and the committee is giving its full attention to this process, which began last January, three months before the expiry of the collective agreement. We remain within reasonable timelines. From the outset, both parties agreed to carry out a comprehensive overhaul of the collective agreement, fully aware of the time required to ensure thorough work.

“Given the productive discussions currently underway, conducted intensively with the support of conciliators appointed by the Minister of Labour, we consider ALPA’s remarks premature. Nevertheless, holding a strike authorization vote is a normal part of collective bargaining. Our operations and activities continue as usual.

“Our goal remains to reach a competitive collective agreement at the table to the satisfaction of both parties.”