Canadians across the country to continue to benefit from unique offering of direct flights to sun destinations
Montreal (Quebec) and Halifax (Nova Scotia), February 13, 2009
Transat A.T. Inc. and CanJet Airlines have entered into a 5-year partnership agreement, effective May 1, 2009, to April 30, 2014, with two subsequent one-year renewal options. The agreement allows tour operator Transat Tours Canada, a Transat business unit operating under the Transat Holidays and Nolitours brands, to charter CanJet narrow-body Boeing 737-800 aircraft flying out of more than 20 Canadian cities to approximately 20 sun destinations.
“Over the years, Canadians have made us their tour operator of choice, and Transat is now number one in all regions across Canada, offering departures to more than 30 sun destinations in 17 countries,” said Nelson Gentiletti, President of Transat Tours Canada and Executive Vice-President, Tour Operators, of Transat. “This agreement ensures us the capacity and flexibility we need to continue to offer superior service at affordable rates to a vast array of communities across the country.”
“We are excited to have entered a long term agreement with Transat on the strategic use of our Boeing 737-800 aircraft to meet Transat’s expanding requirements for narrow-body aircraft,” said Stephen Rowe, Executive Vice President and C.O.O. “We are extremely pleased that our past aircraft charter relationship along with exceptional customer service standards have exceeded Transat’s expectations and they have moved forward with a long term strategic agreement with our airline.”
Meanwhile, Transat and WestJet have mutually agreed to terminate, at the end of the current winter season, a similar partnership originally due to expire on October 31, 2010, with the understanding that some flights may continue to be contracted to WestJet on an ad-hoc basis.
In the winter, Transat offers sun packages to more than 30 destinations in 17 countries out of more than 20 Canadian gateways from coast to coast, mainly through its own airline, Air Transat, Canada’s largest holiday carrier. Air Transat operates 18 wide-body aircraft (14 Airbus A310s with 249 seats; 4 Airbus A330s with 342 seats). Narrow-body aircraft, including CanJet’s Boeing 737-800 (189 seats), provide additional capacity and flexibility to serve smaller markets and help adjust capacity to demand. Globally, Transat ranks among the largest tour operators worldwide and works with nearly 70 airlines.
About CanJet
CanJet Airlines, with its base in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is a full-service charter airline operating a fleet of Boeing Next Generation 737-800 aircraft. CanJet, owned by IMP Group International Inc. is focused on global, sustainable growth, with 3,500 experienced people delivering service, quality and value to customers across diverse sectors such as aerospace, aviation, airline, healthcare, industrial marine, information technology, hospitality and property development.
About Transat
Transat A.T. Inc. is an integrated international tour operator with more than 60 destination countries and that distributes products in over 50 countries. A holiday travel specialist, Transat operates mainly in Canada and Europe, as well as in the Caribbean, Mexico and the Mediterranean Basin. Montreal-based Transat is also active in air transportation, destination services and distribution. (TSX: TRZ.B, TRZ.A)
Caution regarding forward-looking statements by Transat
This news release may contain forward-looking statements regarding, without limitations, the Corporation’s financial, operational and regulatory obligations. Factors that could lead actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements include general economic conditions, competition, extreme weather conditions, disease outbreaks, war, terrorism, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Corporation’s continuous disclosure documents.
These forward-looking statements, by their nature, necessarily involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Corporation's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements. The Corporation considers the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based to be reasonable, but cautions the reader that these assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond its control, may ultimately prove to be incorrect since they are subject to risks and uncertainties that may affect the Corporation. For additional information with respect to these and other factors, see the Annual Information Form and Annual Report for the year ended October 31, 2006, filed with Canadian securities commissions. The Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.