Air Transat unwraps its 2018 transatlantic program

Montreal, September 21, 2017 – A European vacation will be even more accessible to Canadians next summer, thanks to the diverse destinations on offer in Air Transat’s 2018 transatlantic program. True to its reputation as Canada’s leading holiday travel airline, Air Transat has responded to customer demand by, among other things, increasing its number of direct flights to the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Croatia, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic. The carrier will offer direct service to a total of 27 Europe destinations, accessible from many major Canadian cities via its feeder flights program. It is also giving customers even more flexibility by moving up the start dates of its flights by a few weeks, for those eager to go on a spring getaway, as well as extending the season further into fall.

“Air Transat has been proudly helping Canadians explore Europe for 30 years now, and in summer 2018 we’ll be giving even more of them the opportunity to do so, thanks notably to increased use of Airbus A330 aircraft on these routes,” explains Annick Guérard, President and General Manager, Transat Tours Canada. “We’ve always made sure to present a varied transatlantic product offering for travellers so that they can easily plan the vacation of their dreams, and next year will be no exception: our 2018 portfolio is one of the most diversified on the market,” she adds.

Increased service to the U.K., France and Mediterranean destinations

Air Transat is strengthening supply to the United Kingdom and France, with several flights per week to a wide variety of cities. Moreover, passengers flying to Glasgow, Manchester, Amsterdam, Dublin, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Brussels, Lisbon, Malaga, Madrid, Prague, Rome, and Barcelona will benefit from increased use of Airbus A330 aircraft next spring, enjoying personalized inflight entertainment options on individual touchscreens, along with an exceptional in-flight experience thanks to attentive cabin-crew service. And with the multi-destination flight option, travellers can land in one Europe city and take off from another, at no extra charge. It’s a simple, affordable way to discover even more destinations with each trip.

Air Transat’s enriched France program now includes return flights from Quebec City to Paris, four times weekly. Canada’s major metropolises are well served as well, with the following scheduled flights to Paris: Montreal (13 flights weekly), Toronto (five flights weekly) and Vancouver (three flights weekly).

Air Transat is maintaining its position as the holiday travel leader on the French market: once again offering direct flights from Montreal to major cities in France including Marseille (five direct flights weekly), Lyon (four direct flights weekly) and Toulouse (three direct flights weekly), along with Nantes, Bordeaux and Nice (two direct flights weekly to each city).

The United Kingdom, a popular destination for many Canadians, will also be within easy reach from Toronto, with direct flights London (nine per week), Glasgow and Manchester (five weekly flights to each city) and Birmingham (once a week). The British capital will be accessible via Montreal as well, with three flights weekly.

Service is being increased to Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal, Mediterranean destinations that are popular for both short- and long-stay travel as well as cruise options, with frequency boosted on the following routes:

• Montreal–Athens (three direct flights weekly);
• Montreal–Venice (three direct flights weekly);
• Montreal–Barcelona (five direct flights weekly);
• Montreal–Madrid (two direct flights weekly);
• Montreal–Malaga (two direct flights weekly);
• Montreal–Porto (two direct flights weekly);
• Montreal–Lisbon (four direct flights weekly);
• Toronto–Athens (three direct flights weekly);
• Toronto–Lisbon (four direct flights weekly).

Central Europe and the Middle East still in the spotlight

For Canadians looking to explore Central Europe, Air Transat will maintain its Toronto–Zagreb and Montreal–Prague city pairs, with twice-weekly flights. And following a hugely successful summer 2017 launch, service to Tel Aviv will continue as well, with two direct flights per week from Montreal, enriched by a weekly feeder flight out of Toronto.

Europe for all, thanks to an intensive feeder flights program

Air Transat’s very successful feeder flights program, introduced three years ago, is being maintained, making a wider choice of Europe destinations available to travellers from across Canada.

• Six flights a week between Montreal and Toronto;
• Six flights a week between Vancouver and Toronto;
• Five flights a week between Calgary and Toronto;
• Three flights a week between Vancouver and Montreal;
• Two flights a week between Quebec City and Montreal.

About Air Transat

Air Transat is Canada’s number one holiday travel airline in the Canadian and transatlantic markets. It also offers domestic and feeder flights out of five Canadian airports. Every year, it carries nearly 4.5 million passengers to approximately 60 destinations in 26 countries. Based in Montreal, the company employs 3,000 people and operates a fleet of Boeing narrow-body and Airbus wide-body jets. In 2017, Air Transat was named the second-best leisure airline in the world, and the best in North America in the same category for the sixth consecutive year, by Skytrax. In recent years, the carrier has earned multiple distinctions for its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint. Since 2011, it has consistently been ranked number one in North America for energy efficiency, and in the Top 20 worldwide, by the Atmosfair Airline Index. Air Transat is a business unit of Transat A.T. Inc., a leading integrated international tourism company active in air transportation, accommodation, travel packaging and distribution. Transat was awarded Travelife Partner status in 2016 in recognition of its commitment to sustainable development. The vacation travel companion par excellence, Transat celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2017.