Air Transat laying off hundreds of flight attendants, says cuts are temporary

Air Transat says it is laying off as many as 400 flight attendants, but plans to bring them back to work at some point, a move one expert called “a little unusual.” Montreal-based international tour operator Transat A.T. Inc., which runs the Air Transat airline, confirmed in an email to CTVNews.ca Wednesday that the temporary layoffs will affect 350 to 400 staff starting Nov. 1. "The layoffs are temporary due to the seasonality of our airline operations and a capacity reduction announced earlier this year and specifically concern our flight attendants," according to the corporate statement provided to CTVNews.ca. "We plan to recall staff in due course as soon as our flight schedule allows." The company said it has used this measure several times before, noting the move complies with the collective agreement and "is common in the industry." For instance, it said an average of 455 flight attendants were temporarily laid off per year from 2010 to 2016. It said before the layoffs the company offered staff members "several mitigation measures," such as unpaid leave and a reduced schedule. When CTVNews.ca asked whether the layoffs would affect flights and the airline’s ability to meet its legal obligations to passengers, Air Transat said the measure would not affect service. “There is no impact on our airline activities, operations or flight schedule,” company spokesperson Andréan Gagné wrote in an email Wednesday. “We have all the crew members we need to operate our flight program, with the same level of service known to Transat.”<br/>