The airline adds the A321neo LR to its fleet and Split, Croatia to its destinations 

MONTREAL, Oct. 4, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Transat, named the 2018 World's Best Leisure Airline, is making it easy for Canadians to discover Europe next summer. The airline is adding Split, Croatia, to its destinations and increasing its direct flights for many of its main transatlantic markets, namely, Italy, Greece, Croatia, France and Portugal. With 27 destinations in Europe and the Middle East accessible from six airports in Canada via connecting flights, Air Transat makes planning a dream vacation a breeze for Canadians. Moreover, as of summer 2019, passengers heading to destinations such as Nice, Porto and Basel will fly in one of two new Airbus A321neo LR airplanes being added to its fleet.

"Our fleet's transition period that started last winter is continuing. Summer 2019 will mark the arrival of two new Airbus A321neo LR airplanes, benefitting our flexibility and efficiency," says Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer at Transat. "We're adding Split in response to Croatia's soaring popularity as a tourist destination, while maintaining our position as a leader in many of our key markets, including the Mediterranean region," she explains.

"While Europe is a huge part of our summer activities, as Canada's number one holiday airline, we always make sure to offer a wide variety of destinations to our passengers. And that means maintaining our flights to some 20 South destinations, because people love the beaches of Mexico and the Dominican Republic even in the summer," Annick Guérard concludes.

A new destination and a bigger footprint in key markets 
Given Canadians' growing interest in the Balkan Peninsula, Air Transat is pleased to be adding Split to its destinations. With its two flights to Zagreb, that makes three direct flights to Croatia every week from Toronto. There will be more direct flights to Greece and Italy, for a total of four weekly flights to Athens (Greece) from Montreal and Toronto. Lamezia (Italy), the gateway to the South of Italy, will be accessible twice a week from Toronto. The airline is increasing its departures to a number of other destinations as well: from Montreal, there will be three flights to Porto (Portugal), three to Nice (France) and two to Basel (Switzerland). Meanwhile, there will be five weekly flights to Dublin (Ireland) from Toronto.

The United Kingdom, France and the Mediterranean in demand
By flying direct every week from four Canadian cities, the airline makes London (England) accessible to vacationers with departures from Toronto (daily), Vancouver (daily), Montreal (three times a week) and Calgary (three times a week). Vacationers looking to discover other areas of the UK can count on five direct flights weekly to Manchester and Glasgow from Toronto, as well as connecting flights from Montreal, Vancouver, Quebec City, Calgary and Edmonton.

Air Transat, the leading airline between Canada and France, remains the benchmark for leisure travel in France. This year, Air Transat is once again offering direct flights from Montreal to the biggest cities in France, that is, Paris (daily direct flights), Marseille (five direct flights weekly), Lyon and Toulouse (four direct flights weekly), as well as Nice, Nantes and Bordeaux (three direct flights weekly). And with its vast network of connecting flights, Air Transat makes most of these destinations available to people in and around Quebec City, Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary.

Furthermore, Air Transat is set to offer passengers a new product combining air and rail travel, in partnership with SNCF, France's national rail service. The airline's customers will be able to purchase a single ticket comprising a flight to Paris plus TGV AIR service enabling them to complete their journey on the TGV high-speed rail network within France or to Brussels, Belgium, thus facilitating access to French provinces and Brussels on a daily basis. Air Transat and SNCF promise a simple service delivering several benefits: a single booking, a single fare and a single ticket. It will be available as of January 2019, and travellers will be able to book from Canada starting in December.

The Mediterranean region, with its idyllic turquoise waters, is vital to the airline's flight program. First, there's Spain, which remains an undeniable draw thanks to its dream combination of scenic beaches and captivating culture. Air Transat will continue its direct flights from Montreal to Barcelona (five direct flights weekly) and Malaga (three direct flights weekly) as well as from Toronto, with three direct flights weekly to Barcelona. These Spanish destinations remain accessible to people in the Quebec City, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton areas via Air Transat's network of connecting flights. Finally, getting to Lisbon (Portugal) will be as easy as ever with five direct flights weekly from Montreal and four from Toronto.

Rome remains accessible too, with five direct flights from Montreal and seven from Toronto. The Italian capital will be easily reachable for travellers from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton via connecting flights through Toronto.

Tel Aviv, Prague, Brussels and Amsterdam: passenger favourites 
Air Transat flies direct to Tel Aviv from Montreal twice a week and from Toronto once a week with a connecting flight. Brussels, the Belgian capital, is accessible from Montreal with three direct flights weekly, and from Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary with connecting flights.

The airline offers Canadians seven direct flights to Amsterdam, including four from Toronto, two from Vancouver and one from Calgary, along with two direct flights to Prague from Montreal.

Canada year round
For the past five years, Air Transat has been expanding its domestic flights, linking the country's major cities. "These flights give an increasing number of Canadians access to more European destinations than ever, with connecting flights to Toronto and Montreal, as well as give access to other Canadian cities," explains Annick Guérard.

It's also worth noting Air Transat is launching a new summer flight between Edmonton and Toronto, opening the door to European travel to people in northern Alberta.

About Air Transat
Air Transat is Canada's number one holiday airline. It flies to some 60 destinations in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, offers domestic and feeder flights within Canada, and carries nearly 4.5 million passengers every year. Based in Montreal, the company employs 3,000 people. Air Transat is a business unit of Transat A.T. Inc., a leading integrated international tourism company specializing in holiday travel and offering vacation packages, hotel stays and air travel. Transat was awarded Travelife Partner status in 2016 in recognition of its commitment to sustainable development.

Recent distinctions and awards (2017-2018)

• Named World's Best Leisure Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards
• Ranked by Atmosfair among the world's Top 20 airlines for energy efficiency
• Voted Best Leisure/Charter Airline at the Agents' Choice Awards presented by Baxter Travel Media
• Voted Best Airline at the Trophées Uni-Vers awards organized by the Association des Agents de Voyages du Québec

SOURCE Transat A.T. Inc.