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Transat starts to cancel flights as strike deadline looms

CKTB-News- Air Transat cancels-1.10881988 Canceled Travel. Travel plans. Change of plans for traveling and vacation because of Coronavirus or other matter (tumsasedgars/iStock/tumsasedgars)

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MONTREAL — Air Transat is beginning to cancel flights as the clock ticks down on a Wednesday morning strike deadline from pilots near the peak of the holiday travel period.

Travel company Transat A.T. Inc., which owns the leisure airline, says it has cancelled at least a half-dozen flights on Tuesday so far.

The planes were scheduled to fly between Toronto and Cancun, Mexico, Toronto and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, as well as Montreal and Punta Cana.

On Monday, Air Transat arranged four extra flights to ferry some passengers back early from their vacations in Cancun, Punta Cana and Cuba.

Negotiators in Montreal talked into the wee hours about a new contract for the carrier's 750 pilots, who want a deal that boosts wages, job security and quality of life.

A work stoppage would disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Canadians who fly Air Transat each day, mainly to sun destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe.

Air Transat Airlines Airplane Taxiing To Loading And Unloading Gate Of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Scene Of Air Transat Passenger Airplane Taxiing To Loading,Unloading Gate Of Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport For Disembarkation After Arrival In The Netherlands Europe (LIVINUS/Getty Images)