TORONTO — This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill product launch. In an effort to inject some fun into an otherwise gloomy day in Toronto yesterday, Transat celebrated the launch of its 2017/18 Sun program with a bit of bowling and plenty of laughs.
Denise Heffron, VP National Sales & Commercial at Transat and a self-described klutz, jokingly warned those in attendance that she had bowled a strike and a spare during warmup. Her team, which she named ‘The Beach Bums’ to reflect Transat’s diverse Sun offerings, led a group of media and industry partners in an afternoon of 10-pin bowling at The Ballroom Bowl in the heart of Toronto’s entertainment district.
There were a few strikes and lots of gutterballs, not to mention some friendly trash talking between teams, all done in good fun to commemorate what looks to be a stacked winter season for the company.
“Although it’s hard to think about winter right now in June, there’s nothing better than getting off to a good start,” said Heffron. “Last fall we launched our new branding featuring a consistently clean look. We got rid of the multiple brands and embraced the star, and also launched aspirational commercials. It’s safe to say that we made the right decision to go to one brand.”
Heffron also noted that the company is focused on building its domestic connections and enhancing its cruise program. “We’re in the final stages of planning our cruise program for the years to come, and our brochure will be coming in mid-August,” she said.
Transat, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, is experiencing growth across the board, especially in terms of lift. According to Heffron, Air Transat is boosting its winter capacity by 7% on a national basis, in every region across Canada but particularly in the West.
On the importance of offering diversity and options in its product line, she said, “We know how one size doesn’t fit all.”
The new Sun & Fun brochure, which sits at a healthy 377 pages, features 36 destinations including two new ones from Toronto and Montreal: Tampa, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Both departing Sundays, Tampa will be available throughout the winter season, while San Juan launches Dec. 24.
Other highlights include Duo programs (eight new ones this year), five new hotels in the Luxury Collection, and Florida, now part of the Fun & Sun brochure. As for routes, daily flights to Punta Cana and Cancun from Toronto will start even earlier this year (in November), while a second flight will be added to Liberia (Costa Rica), Managua (Nicaragua) and Roatan (Honduras) from the Ontarian metropolis. Also from Toronto, the airline will add more flights to Varadero and Holguin.
In total, Air Transat will offer 28 destinations from Toronto, seven from Ottawa, five from Hamilton, three from London and one from Windsor, Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie this winter.
To entice clients to book super early, Transat’s ‘Super Early Booking Promotion’ applies to any South package booked by June 30 for next winter. With a reduced deposit of $100, clients receive Transat’s Price Drop Guarantee for all-inclusive packages, the option to change their travel dates up to three hours before departure, an upgrade to Option Plus for Luxury or Distinction Collection packages, and a $50 future travel voucher. For any booking of a Florida, Duo, cruise or guided tour package, clients benefit from a reduced deposit of $100 and a $50 future travel voucher.
In addition to Sun offerings this winter, Nicole Bursey, commercial director, Ontario and Atlantic Canada, highlighted Transat’s sustainability efforts, which recently landed the company on the list of the Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada. Transat ranked 16th on the list and is the only tour operator to earn the distinction. The award was handed out following the event by the Corporate Knights, which evaluated companies’ performance using 12 key indicators including energy productivity, carbon productivity, safety performance and the presence of women in executive management.
Both Heffron and Bursey credited the company’s achievements and growth to its relationship with travel agents. Heffron said this relationship is of the “utmost importance”, while Bursey referred to agents as the company’s heart. “We are a Canadian success story, one that’s built on a love for travel,” said Bursey. “And at the heart of it all are retail travel consultants.”
