Air Transat is reportedly axing hundreds of jobs.
According to reports from travel site OpenJaw, the Montreal-based airline will lay off 350 to 400 flight attendants, but the cuts will not be permanent.
“The layoffs are temporary due to the seasonality of our airline operations and a capacity reduction announced earlier this year,” airline spokesperson Maïté Aubert-Simard told OpenJaw last Friday.
“This measure is in accordance with the collective agreement and is common in the industry, which Air Transat has used several times in the past.”
The spokesperson said the carrier offered employees unpaid leave, shortened hours and other options before the layoffs.
“We plan to recall staff in due course as soon as our flight schedule allows,” she told OpenJaw.
The expected number of cuts is far greater than the initial plans to lay off up to 80 employees, which was reported by The Canadian Press earlier this month.
The potential job cuts were disclosed in a preliminary notice sent to the Quebec government, which is required by the province’s labour regulations.
Air Transat initially told Quebec’s employment department that the layoffs could be effective by November 1, specifying in an email that it would not affect federally regulated roles like pilots or flight attendants, reported the wire news service.
This comes as the airline faces financial challenges, reporting a $39.9 million loss in its third quarter this year compared to its $57.3 million profit last year.
Air Transat did not immediately respond to Daily Hive’s request for comment and confirmation. We will update this story when we hear back.