MONTREAL, Oct. 11, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Transat A.T. Inc. announces the appointment of Annick Guérard as the company's Chief Operating Officer, effective November 1, 2017. In her new role, Ms. Guérard will head all of Transat's travel operations, including the Air Transat business unit.

"Annick Guérard's appointment to this new position marks a major step forward for the company. This is a new generation that is finally getting ready to take over the controls," said Mr. Eustache, President and Chief Executive Officer. He continued: "During her 15 years at Transat, Annick has acquired in-depth knowledge of the workings of the company and of the tourism and airline industries. Her past five years heading our tour operating and distribution activities have prepared her well for her new duties. In her new role, Annick will use her vision and leadership qualities, as well as on her passion for customer service and operational efficiency, to build Transat's successful future over the years to come."

Annick Guérard began her career in engineering consulting and was an advisor in organizational management before joining the Transat team in 2002. There, she has served in several senior management posts involving operations, customer service, marketing, e-commerce and product development. Since December 2012, she has been President and General Manager of Transat Tours Canada, which develops and commercializes all Transat and Air Transat products and services. Ms. Guérard holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Polytechnique Montréal and an MBA from HEC Montréal.

Development of Transat's future hotel company will continue to be overseen directly by Jean-Marc Eustache.

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

Named world's second-best leisure airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards (2013–2017) and best in North America in the same category (2012-2017)

Placed second among airlines on Forbes magazine's 2017 ranking of Canada's Best Employers

Named one of the Best Corporate Citizens in Canada by the research firm Corporate Knights (2014–2017; 16th in 2017)

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

Ranked among the Top 10 call centres in North America by BenchmarkPortal (2012 and 2015)

Voted Best Leisure/Charter Airline (2008–2017) and Best Tour Operator (2014–2017), at the Agent's Choice Awards presented by Baxter Travel Media

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

SOURCE Transat A.T. Inc.