Air Transat: Should Canadians Care?

Let’s consider the following: you’re looking to take yourself and maybe your family on a nice vacation. You can’t be bothered with using Miles & Points, and you just want to take your kids, or your posse, somewhere nice for Christmas or Spring Break.

So you boot up Google Flights, and notice an airline you may not have flown or seen a lot of before: Air Transat.

Who are they? What do they do? What’s their business model? And above all else, are Air Transat flights a good deal?

Let’s find out today whether you should care or not. I am pleased to inform you that, before we go any further, yes, Air Transat is quite competitive and can offer you great service at a fair price for your leisure travel needs.

What is Air Transat?

Air Transat’s been in business for decades now, having commenced operations in the late 1980s, and is headquartered in Montreal.

Its particular specialty is in leisure travel, both within North America and internationally to both Europe and South America. They’re unique in that they are one of only two Canadian airlines to fly to Peru, Brazil, and Morocco.

The business model is simple: fill the plane with as many leisure travellers as possible at an affordable price, and sell them extras. Don’t believe me? The airline only offers complimentary meals on long-haul flights and offers the bistro model of overpriced sandwiches on all others. 

Baggage fees? The actual Air Transat baggage fee policy isn’t too bad because you can usually take a carry-on, but checked luggage will cost you dearly if it wasn’t included in your base fare class.

As for the hard product, Air Transat operates a fleet of older Airbus A320 and A330 aircraft without what can be called the most luxurious trim or livery.

However, if you take a look at the seating arrangement above, which is for their highest seating capacity A330, you can see that the planes are hardly overcrowded. In fact, through most of my research, I’ve found that most of their configurations have 31” of recline in basic economy. That’s not bad, as other airlines like Air Canada Rouge often offer less.

Now, of course, you get what you pay for; Air Transat is trying to fly at capacity to its leisure destinations. The seats aren’t new. The food is mediocre. The service is going to be friendly enough, but don’t expect anyone to fluff your pillows or bring you double-chilled prosecco (a champagne airline this ain’t).

The carrier is also concentrated in Eastern Canada, and primarily services the Toronto and Montreal markets, so it’s not really an option for people like me in the West. 
Finally, make sure to check the cancellation policies. They can be a bit byzantine, and usually clock in at about $200 per ticket with refunds only in the form of travel credits. If you’re flying Air Transat, don’t expect to cancel unless you must.

In most examples below, I’ll be using their Eco Budget fare (which is non-refundable), and it only comes with one full-sized carry-on bag. But let’s be real, you’re not flying Air Transat with flexibility in mind, are you?

The Air Transat Advantage: Fly Direct to Where You Want

The main competitive advantage of Air Transat is that while they offer a no-frills experience, they will get you where you want to go at a competitive price. I have compared a couple of different destinations at the season when prices are highest, Christmas, and compared what Air Transat offers versus their mainline competitors.

Another advantage is that they fly some direct routes that other Canadian airlines simply don’t.

The first example I can think of is the direct Quebec City (YQB)  to Paris (CDG) route. If we take a look at the price at peak season from December 10, 2025, to January 3, 2026, with a basic fare that doesn’t include checked baggage but does have a carry-on, we can see the price is $2,166.44.

On the other hand, a flight with Air Canada, which does include a checked bag in the ticket price, is $2,233.95 but is at minimum 3-4 hours longer and includes a mandatory layover in Montreal.

For my money, the Air Transat flight is cheaper and directly services the traditional home of the Nordiques, and while you should look at the baggage policies and fees, the sheer convenience of it being both cheaper and in the backyard is a great value proposition.

Speaking of value, let’s look at a Christmas trip to the Sun destinations, in this case, direct from Halifax to Cancun.

As we can see, the basic fare, again without a checked bag, is $855.46. If you want bags, it’s about $100 more, depending on the fare class. These are direct flights, and the winter market is one that you can imagine is pretty competitive.

However, how does the next-cheapest airline, WestJet, compare? Their Econo fare (with a full-sized carry-on and one checked bag) is $1248.46.

You could potentially save $150-200 and purchase the Ultra Basic fare class, but I don’t think that’s a great deal because not only would you have zero flexibility or recourse, but your carry-on would have to be the size of a particularly small backpack.

Finally, let’s take a look at another interesting route that only Air Transat offers: Toronto to Glasgow. Direct. All year round. I’m not sure why you’d want to go to Scotland year-round, but hey, sometimes scotch and munchie boxes sell themselves, don’t they?

Well, a one-way flight in the middle of the Christmas season is $881.23. Not bad, though once again it’s a carry-on only. $105 extra in charges gets you a checked bag, plus the option to refund your fare (but only to a travel credit that can be used on Air Transat). Not a bad deal. But what’s the alternative?

I headed over to British Airways to take a look. What came out the other end wasn’t pretty.

For this exact same flight, you’d need to layover in Dublin, adding several hours to the itinerary. You’d need to spend $1,683, or double the price. On the upside, you get a free checked bag. Is the checked bag and flying on Aer Lingus worth $800? Something tells me there’s no Michelin dining in Aer Lingus economy, so I doubt it.

So, overall, will your trip to Glasgow be worth it?

Value has to be determined by you, the consumer, but I think, based on what I’ve found, that Air Transat is pretty competitive and often a much better deal than the competition. If you’re living in Eastern Canada and want the convenience Air Transat offers in your market, don’t feel bad at all about booking with them.

Can You Book Air Transat Flights with Points?

Since Air Transat is a leisure destination-only airline primarily servicing non-business customers, it doesn’t want to attract business travellers to it as they’re not its core audience. Therefore, it’s unique in that it has no loyalty program of its own. 

However, if you do wish to fly on Air Transat with points, you can consider the Porter Airlines VIPorter Program, which offers the ability to book Air Transat flights using VIPorter points.

Is the cent per point value worth it? I looked at the same Quebec City to Paris flight listed above, and you’d only clock in at a bit above 1 cent per point with this redemption.

I’d definitely recommend keeping your VIPorter points to fly on Porter, but if this is the flight you need, don’t feel bad about using them for a redemption like this.

Just remember that the best way to get VIPorter points is via the BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard, which currently offers a welcome bonus of up to 70,000 VIPorter Points.

BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard

$125

Apply Now Learn More Terms & Conditions apply

BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard

The BMO VIPorter World Elite Mastercard offers benefits including VIPorter Venture membership and the opportunity to earn an annual round-trip companion pass through spending.

Earn $125 in FlyerFunds when you apply through Frugal Flyer.

OFFER
70,000 VIPorter points

MINSPEND
$18,000

EST. VALUE
$1,175+

ANNUAL FEE
$199 (FYF)

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
Oct 31, 2026

Conclusion

So, what’s the final word on Air Transat?

Honestly, it’s fine. No, really, it’s perfectly fine. This isn’t a five-star, lie-flat luxury experience, and you’re not flying it to be pampered. It’s an airline that knows exactly what it is: a budget-friendly way to get you from a cold Canadian city to a beach in Mexico or a pub in Glasgow, often on a direct flight.

You get exactly what you pay for. The seats are decent enough, the prices are competitive, and it gets the job done without any fuss.

If you live in Eastern Canada and find a deal that beats the mainline carriers, don’t overthink it. Go ahead and book. If you’re absolutely determined to fly them on points, you can burn some VIPorter points, but it’s probably not the best use of your hard-earned rewards.

Bottom line? Air Transat is pretty darn good.