New-look site charts the full extent of the organization's sustainability initiatives

MONTREAL, March 9, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Transat today launched a renewed version of its corporate responsibility reference website, summarizing all of the company's current projects. Since it first adopted a sustainable tourism policy nearly 10 years ago, Transat has placed socially and environmentally responsible tourism development at the heart of its vision for the company's future—a vision that translates into actions taken across the entire organization and diligent efforts by employees and partners, both at home and at destination.

"Our ambition to be the North American leader in sustainability in the travel and tourism industry is reflected in the wide range of projects that we continue to implement, and in concrete actions taken every day," explains Transat President and Chief Executive Officer Jean-Marc Eustache. He adds: "In 2016, we became the first tour operator in North America to achieve Travelife Partner certification, illustrating our commitment to continually moving forward on this vital issue. And we intend to retain our leadership position by completing implementation of our ambitious sustainability action plan."

The approximately 70 concrete initiatives identified on the website revolve around Transat's four fundamental CR pillars: the environment, communities, the workplace, and tourism operations. Each is divided into major priorities, further broken down into sets of precise objectives, for which specific progress updates are presented.

While Travelife certification essentially covers Transat's tour operating and travel agency operations, the site also reports on the many sustainability initiatives implemented by its carrier Air Transat, each of which is also defined through precise, quantifiable objectives, with specific levels of progress identified.

As such, the corporate responsibility website presents a real-time snapshot, continually updated to keep pace with the company's overall progress on its corporate responsibility initiatives.

Major actions implemented include the following:

• In 2003, Air Transat established one of the most innovative and ambitious fuel management programs in the industry, targeting fuel consumption improvements and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Over the years, the program has been enhanced and strengthened on several occasions, always taking overall operations into consideration, with concrete actions implemented in the areas of air, ground and technical operations as well as inflight service. The program has earned Air Transat recognition from the Atmosfair Airline Index as one of the world's most climate-conscious carriers every year since 2011.
• Air Transat's head office was the first building in Canada to be awarded LEED-EB® (Existing Buildings) Platinum certification, in 2011. It remains the only building in Quebec, and one of approximately 20 in Canada, with that distinction. It was also recently named, for the second year in a row, to Corporate Responsibility magazine's list of the greenest head offices in North America.
• As a tourism industry leader, Transat is committed to the well-being of communities in both its origin and destination countries. As such, it has partnerships with organizations such as SOS Children's Villages. Since 2009, Transat, its employees and its customers have provided financial support of $2.35 million to the organization, contributing to implementation of some 50 projects in more than 20 SOS locations, mainly in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Haiti, Jamaica and Panama.
• The company has also been engaged with Beyond Borders ECPAT Canada since 2010 in the fight against child sex tourism. In 2014 and 2015, it developed guidelines for its travel agents on how to raise customer awareness of this challenging issue, later broadening their distribution to all travel agencies across Canada. Transat also acts locally, encouraging employees to join the company's volunteering program, under which they take one day's paid leave per year to help the community group of their choice.
• Following adoption of a sustainability code of conduct for hoteliers and destination tour operator agencies in 2015, Transat has helped change and improve industry practices, especially in its Sun markets, and also in Canada through its incoming tour operator Jonview Canada. It also helps customers make greener choices by promoting hotels with environmental certification in its brochures and on its website.
• The company works constantly to train, inform and build engagement among its employees, whose contributions are vital to the success of its vision and action plan.

The company reports continually on its corporate responsibility actions via the corporate responsibility website of Transat, first launched in 2011. Now fully updated to reflect the many projects developed in recent years, it constitutes a rich and lively source of information. Explore it today!  

About Transat
Transat A.T. Inc. is a leading integrated international tourism company specializing in holiday travel and active in air transportation, accommodation, travel packaging and distribution. It operates mainly in Canada, Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean, with some 25 destination countries, and distributes products in over 50 countries. Based in Montreal, the company has 5,000 employees. Transat is firmly committed to sustainable tourism development, as reflected in its multiple corporate responsibility initiatives over the past 10 years, and was awarded Travelife Partner status in 2016. The vacation travel companion par excellence, Transat celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2017 (TSX: TRZ).

Recent distinctions and awards

Air Transat named Best North American Leisure Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards (2012–2016)

Transat named one of the Best Corporate Citizens in Canada by the research firm Corporate Knights (2014–2016)

Air Transat named the number one carrier in North America for energy efficiency by Atmosfair (2011–2016)

Transat's Customer Care Centre ranked among the Top 10 call centres in North America by BenchmarkPortal (2012 and 2015)

Air Transat voted Best Leisure/Charter Airline (2008–2016) and Transat, Best Tour Operator (2014–2016), at the Agent's Choice Awards presented by Baxter Travel Media

Air Transat voted Best Airline (2013–2015) and Transat, Best Tour Operator (2013, 2015 and 2016), at the Trophées Uni-Vers awards organized by the Association des Agents de Voyages du Québec

www.transat.com

SOURCE Transat A.T. Inc.