TENTATIVE DEAL REACHED WITH AIR TRANSAT PILOTS

A tentative contract agreement has been reached between Air Transat and its more than 500 pilots. The airline and the Air Line Pilots Association say the new five-year contract includes “significant improvements.” A union official says the agreement brings pilot wages “into line with their peers,” although no details will be released pending a ratification vote expected to begin next month. The pilots had voted to strike if a new agreement wasn’t reached by 12: 01 a. m. on Monday, just before the start of the busy spring break trav- el season. The pilots’ last contract expired on April 30, 2015 and the tentative contract follows more than a year of negotiations and federal conciliation. If ratified, the new deal will run from May 1, 2015 until April 30, 2020. Air Transat is part of Montreal-based Transat A.T., which operates an integrated travel business that includes flights and vacation packages in North America, Europe and other areas. The tour operator is facing intense competition in the leisure market.