YQG monitoring Air Transat flights ahead of airlines’ return to Windsor

Windsor International Airport (YQG) in Windsor, Ont. on Tuesday, July 27, 2021. (Chris Campbell/CTV Windsor)

Officials are hopeful Air Transat service out of the Windsor International Airport won’t be grounded before it’s had its first opportunity to take off.

The airline is scheduled to begin a weekly service out of Windsor to Punta Cana on Dec. 19.

If the flight isn’t cancelled due to job action, Mark Galvin, the CEO and President of YQG, said it will be the airline’s first Windsor trips in about seven years.

“To get it back and Air Transat coming back as a partner is great for us. Obviously, we’re very hopeful that there’ll be an agreement before next Friday when they’re scheduled to start,” Galvin told CTV News on Monday afternoon.

Representing 750 pilots at Air Transat, the Air Line Pilots Association issued a 72-hour strike notice over the weekend.

The notice allows pilots to be in a legal strike position on Wednesday, which could cause mass flight cancellations and delay the airlines’ return to Windsor.

After “great uptake” in the flights, Galvin said they have received concerned calls from passengers worried about their flights.

“We obviously, you know, direct them to the airline. That’s the entity that would have the information,” Galvin said.

“Depending on how this goes, we’ll put some links on our website to be a little proactive, and direct people to the right resources to get the information that they need.”

When asked about whether a slower season due to cancellations could threaten the future of Windsor’s Air Transat service, Galvin noted it’s difficult to say.

“There’s always these kinds of things that come up, but I know airlines want to fly and pilots want to fly,” he said.

“Everyone wants to get people where they want to go, particularly when you’re getting into the sun destination season to escape the winter and get a week of sunshine.”