Refocusing of Transat AT | Vancouver base suffers, 200 positions eliminated

The repositioning of Transat AT towards Montreal and Eastern Canada will lead to the closure of the Air Transat base at Vancouver airport on June 30, causing the abolition of 200 flight attendant positions.

This news was communicated on Wednesday through an internal memo that The Press was able to consult. A base allows an air carrier to count on permanently on-site flight personnel.

“We will continue to operate the same flight schedule for the time being, but our flights will be operated by our two main teams based in Montreal and Toronto, where we have a strong historical and commercial footprint.

The missive points out that the decision was “very difficult to make” given “the seniority and loyalty of the Vancouver base personnel”. On a voluntary basis, the employees concerned may be transferred to Montreal or Toronto.

For the Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the vast majority of flight attendants in the country, this scenario mitigates “somewhat” the “very bad news” which was announced on Wednesday. Not all employees will be able to pack up, warns Dominic Levasseur, president of the Air Transat component of CUPE.

“Most of the employees have more than 15 years of seniority,” he points out. Relocating when you have a family and children is not easy. We negotiate to obtain the best possible conditions for the people who will go to Montreal and Toronto because we need them. »

In its internal memo, the Quebec tour operator assures that the decision “is in no way intended to reduce” the “number of employees in Canada, but to maintain it”. Based in Montreal, the company says it wants to group its crews on two main bases.

At the helm of Transat AT since June 2021, the president and chief executive officer, Annick Guérard, is working to refocus the tour operator. It focuses more on eastern Canada – Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes – and on flights to the United States.

The company also has alliances with carriers like WestJet and Porter Airlines. The objective is to make the networks complementary.

On the Toronto Stock Exchange on Wednesday, Transat AT shares closed at $3.39, down three cents, or 0.9%.