Air Transat flight attendants OK strike mandate if new contract cannot be reached

The union representing 2,100 flight attendants at Air Transat says workers have voted to approve a strike if they cannot reach a new contract with the airline.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says the flight attendants voted 99.8 per cent in favour of backing the mandate. Dominic Levasseur, president of the Air Transat component of CUPE, says the next few weeks of negotiations will be critical.

Levasseur says it's still possible to reach a new contract without resorting to a strike, but the union's members have high expectations and are extremely motivated.

The collective agreement for the flight attendants based at airports in Montreal and Toronto expired on Oct. 31, 2022. Air Transat is owned by travel company Transat AT Inc.