This news was communicated through an internal memo on Wednesday The press could consult. A base allows an airline to count on permanently on-site flight personnel.

“We will continue to operate the same flight schedule for the time being, but our flights will be operated by our two main teams based in Montreal and Toronto, where we have a strong historical and commercial presence.

The letter notes that the decision was “very difficult to make, given the seniority and loyalty of Vancouver’s base staff.” The affected employees can be transferred to Montreal or Toronto on a voluntary basis.

For the Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the vast majority of the country’s flight attendants, this scenario “defuses somewhat” the “very bad news” announced on Wednesday. Not all employees will be able to pack their bags, warns Dominic Levasseur, president of CUPE’s Air Transat component.

“Most of the employees have been with the company for more than 15 years,” he emphasizes. Moving with family and children is not easy. We’re negotiating to get the best possible terms for the people who are going to go to Montreal and Toronto because we need them. »

The Québec tour operator assures in its internal memo that the decision “is in no way intended” to “reduce the number of employees in Canada, but to maintain them”. The Montreal-based company says it wants to group its crews into two main bases.

President and CEO Annick Guérard has been at the helm of Transat AT since June 2021, working on the reorientation of the tour operator. It’s more focused on eastern Canada – Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes – and on flights to the United States.

The company also has alliances with airlines such as WestJet and Porter Airlines. The aim is to make the networks complementary.

On the Toronto Stock Exchange, Transat AT shares closed at $3.39 on Wednesday, down three cents, or 0.9%.