Transat suspends all flights out of Toronto for winter season
Transat A.T. (TRZ) is suspending all flights out of Toronto through April 30 as the travel and tour company continues to face diminished demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Transat spokesperson Debbie Cabana confirmed on Wednesday that the Montreal-based company has revised its winter flight schedule and suspended all flights out of Toronto. The airline has also suspended some routes from Montreal, but will continue to operate flights to six international destinations.
“Continued travel restrictions and the numerous measures imposed by the federal government, including the requirement to present a negative COVID-19 test and to quarantine upon return to Canada, have had a significant impact on our bookings,” Cabana said in an emailed statement.
“We must, therefore, revise our winter flight schedule, as we have been doing since the beginning of the pandemic, based on the evolution of the situation and demand.”
The cancelled routes in Toronto include flights to Cancun, Mexico; Holguin and Varadero, Cuba; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Porto and Lisbon, Portugal. Transat is also cancelling its flights from Montreal to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and Varadero.
The company said travellers affected by the flight cancellations will receive a refund. It also said that passengers who are currently abroad will be automatically rebooked on another Air Transat flight back to Canada.
While the airline industry continues to struggle in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, many provincial politicians have called on Ottawa to impose tougher border restrictions. Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Tuesday said the federal government should strengthen enforcement of its quarantine measures and consider “isolation hotels” to ensure compliance with quarantine rules.
However, the National Airlines Council of Canada, which represents Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat and Jazz Aviation, said such quarantine hotels are not necessary.
“While governments at all levels continue to recognize the need for aviation to continue to operate, we cannot do so without passengers,” NACC president Mike McNaney said in a statement.
“As additional measures continue to be considered, we need the federal government to engage with industry and labour on the development of such measures.”
Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @alicjawithaj.
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