After 112 days of air downtime due to COVID-19
MONTREAL, July 23, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Transat, one of the largest integrated tourism companies in the world and Canada's holiday travel leader, is making its first commercial flights today, the day it is resuming air operations after four months of inactivity. There will be three international flights (Montreal-Toulouse, Montreal-Paris and Toronto-London) and three domestic flights (Montreal-Toronto, Toronto-Montreal and Toronto-Vancouver). Transat's entire reduced summer schedule of 24 routes to some 20 destinations will be up and running by August 2.
"July 23 is, and will remain, a very special day in the history of Transat. We are gradually resuming our flight operations after a 112-day shutdown," said Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer, Transat. "There will be excitement in the air during our carrier's first takeoffs this evening. The entire Transat team, starting with our on-duty flight crews, is very pleased to return to action and to offer our passengers a restyled experience adapted to the situation. The skies are slowly clearing and that is encouraging, but it in no way means that the crisis caused by COVID-19 is over."
To put things in perspective, September 11, 2001, was the most significant and transformative event in the travel and tourism industry in the last two decades. But as astonishing as it may seem today, by September 13, just two days later, Transat announced the gradual resumption of its flights.
Traveller Care for a totally safe trip
One of the key elements of the recovery is of course customers' confidence in travelling safely. In this regard, Transat's Traveller Care program offers a complete package of health and safety measures for people on the move. Based on the recommendations of regulatory authorities, the travel experience has been completely revamped: from the travel agency, to the airport, on board the aircraft, and all the way to the destination. The program is accompanied by a comprehensive practical guide that includes, among other information, the requirements of destination countries and airports. These are two online reference tools available to travel consultants and their customers.
A fleet in transformation
In July, Transat's carrier took delivery of three new Airbus A321neoLR aircraft, which are the core of its fleet transformation. This new-generation aircraft is ideal to support the resumption of flight operations, because of, among other things, its medium capacity, extended range and fuel efficiency. The last two A321neoLRs to join the fleet made their first-ever delivery flights last weekend powered by sustainable fuel (SAF) from the Airbus assembly plant in Hamburg, Germany.
About Transat
Transat A.T. Inc. is a leading integrated international tourism company specializing in holiday travel. It offers vacation packages, hotel stays and air travel under the Transat and Air Transat brands to some 60 destinations in more than 25 countries in the Americas and Europe. Transat is firmly committed to sustainable tourism development, as reflected in its multiple corporate responsibility initiatives over the past 13 years, and was awarded Travelife certification in 2018. Based in Montreal, the company has 5,000 employees (TSX: TRZ).
Recent distinctions and awards
- World's Best Leisure Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards
- Best Tour Operator and Favourite Overall Supplier at the Agents' Choice Awards presented by Baxter Travel Media
- Best Airline and Best Tour Operator at the Trophées Uni-Vers awards organized by the Association des Agents de Voyages du Québec
- Ranked eighth nationally and third in Quebec on Forbes magazine's list of Canada's Best Employers
SOURCE Transat A.T. Inc.
