• More flights to Europe from Montreal and Toronto
• Enhanced offering to South destinations
• Introduction of additional Airbus A321neoLRs to the fleet

MONTREAL, Oct. 25, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Transat, named the World's Best Leisure Airline by Skytrax in 2019, unveils an impressive program for the summer of 2020, with more destinations offered from Montreal and Toronto. The airline will operate 150 flights a week to 27 European cities and increase its offering to the South and the United States. Numerous domestic and connecting flights will also benefit Canadian travellers across the country. New summer destinations include Copenhagen, Denmark; Faro, Portugal; and San Diego and New Orleans in the United States.

"The arrival of our Airbus A321neoLRs marks the dawn of a new era for us," says Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer of Transat. "Along with our wide-body fleet, these aircraft help us become more flexible by increasing the options to reach Europe from major Canadian airports. Travellers win big, with more holiday choices and increased frequencies."

Given its success in 2019, TGV AIR will be back in the summer of 2020. In partnership with SNCF, France's national rail service, Air Transat offers its clients a one-stop shop allowing them to combine a flight to Paris with rail travel from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport. Travellers can thus access 18 French cities and Brussels, Belgium. "Our priority is to give tourists choices," says Guérard. "Many of our customers took advantage of this service this year."

European destinations

In the summer of 2020, Air Transat will operate 17 flights a week to Paris from Montreal, three more than in 2019, and will once again offer an exceptional offering to Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Toulouse and Basel-Mulhouse.

Most of these French destinations will also be available from Quebec City, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, thanks to connecting flights. In total, Air Transat will have direct flights to 20 European cities from Montreal. It will also fly to Paris from Toronto five times a week.

Air Transat will operate 24 flights a week to the United Kingdom from Toronto, five more than in 2019, including two daily flights to London in high season. The airline will have five flights to Manchester, England, and five to Glasgow, Scotland, each week. Most of these destinations will be available to travellers flying from Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, thanks to connecting flights. In total, Air Transat will offer direct flights to 15 European cities from Toronto. It will also operate flights from Montreal to London five times a week.

From Vancouver, Air Transat will fly three times a week to Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Manchester and London. It will also offer 12 flights a week to Toronto and seven flights a week to Montreal, making the majority of its European destinations available to its West Coast customers, thanks to connecting flights.

The airline will operate four direct flights a week to Paris from Quebec City, one more than in 2019. It will also keep its flights from Quebec City to Montreal, thus offering Quebec City travellers access to 16 European cities.

With their unique blends of culture and sun, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Croatia continue to attract Canadian travellers. That's why Air Transat will offer 58 flights a week to these Mediterranean destinations from Toronto and Montreal, including one flight to Faro for the first time in the summer of 2020.

Domestic and connecting flights

Air Transat keeps enhancing its domestic flight program for travellers looking for a connecting flight to Europe. From Vancouver, the airline will offer 12 flights a week to Toronto and a daily flight to Montreal. From Calgary, it will fly to Toronto and Montreal four times a week, respectively. In addition, there will be 14 flights a week between Toronto and Montreal, and four between Quebec City and Montreal.

Scheduled number of weekly flights, direct or connecting, in high season

• Figures indicate the number of direct flights
• Dots (-) indicate destinations involving a connecting flight

South destinations

South destinations are very popular, even in summer. In 2020, Air Transat will offer 50 flights a week from Montreal to 16 destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean and the United States, including Fort Lauderdale and Orlando (Florida), San Diego (California) and New Orleans (Louisiana). There will be 30 flights a week from Toronto to 10 South destinations. Finally, Air Transat will offer flights to Punta Cana (Dominican Republic), Cancun (Mexico) and Fort Lauderdale from Quebec City.

Scheduled number of weekly direct flights to the South and the United States, in high season

About Air Transat

Air Transat is Canada's number one leisure airline. It flies to some 60 international destinations in more than 25 countries in the Americas and Europe, offers domestic and connecting flights within Canada, and carries some 5 million passengers every year. 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 certification in 2018 in recognition of its commitment to sustainable development. Based in Montreal, it has 5,000 employees.

Recent distinctions and awards 

• Named World's Best Leisure Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 
• Voted Best Tour Operator and Favourite Overall Supplier at the Agents' Choice Awards presented by Baxter Travel Media 
• Voted Best Airline and Best Tour Operator at the Trophées Uni-Vers awards organized by the Association des Agents de Voyages du Québec 
• Ranked among Canada's Best Employers and first among airlines on Forbes magazine's list

SOURCE Transat A.T. Inc.