MONTREAL, Quebec, August 20
Transat A.T. inc., announced today a two-year agreement which will allow Transat and its two main tour operators, World of Vacations and Air Transat Holidays, to charter a number of WestJet's state-of-the-art Next-Generation Boeing 737 aircraft and crews for specific routes from several Canadian cities. For the duration of the agreement, Transat's two main tour operators will fill the WestJet planes with passengers from Canada heading for several Southern destinations. During the first season, the contract is worth an estimated $29 million Canadian dollars
."We are pleased with this partnership agreement. The addition of WestJet's narrow-bodied aircraft will complement Air Transat's wide-bodied fleet. We will now be able to increase our service offering in certain markets and broaden our offering in areas which could not otherwise be served by our aircraft," stated Lina De Cesare, Executive Vice-President, Tour Operators at Transat A.T. inc.
Bill Lamberton, WestJet's Vice President, Marketing and Sales, said today: "We are delighted to have extended our partnership with Transat for the next two years. Destinations such as the Dominican Republic, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, and Varadero will all be served by WestJet aircraft and crews through the partnership with Transat."
Transat A.T. Inc., with its head office in Montréal, is an integrated company specializing in the organization, marketing, and distribution of holiday travel. The core of its business consists of tour operators in Canada and France. Transat is also involved in air transportation, value-added services at travel destinations, as well as in distribution through travel agency networks. Transat is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE:TRZ).
WestJet serves the 26 Canadian cities of Victoria, Comox, Vancouver, Abbotsford/Fraser Valley, Prince George, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, London, Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto, Windsor, Montreal, Moncton, Halifax, Gander and St. John's. WestJet is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol WJA.