Joseph Adamo
MONTREAL — Transat’s strategy of adding new niche destinations to complement a core South program has kept demand strong for the long-time favourite brand.
The company has also expanded its streamlined network with codeshare agreements with Porter Airlines and WestJet. The first phase of Air Transat’s new joint venture with Porter officially launched in June 2024. Meanwhile Air Transat’s transatlantic codeshare with WestJet took flight in 2022.
Passengers are happy, voting Air Transat the World’s Best Leisure Airline – for the sixth time – at the Skytrax World Airline Awards this past spring.
With the start of the 2024-2025 winter season just a couple of months away – and with the launch of Transat electronic brochures for its upcoming winter sun program –, Profession Voyages, part of The Travelweek Group, connected with Joseph Adamo, Transat’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer (and President of Transat Distribution Canada) to find out what’s on the horizon.
What’s new at Transat for the coming fall and winter?
Adamo: “The big news for this winter is certainly the addition of Tulum to our portfolio of destinations, with departures from Montreal and Quebec City. This new airport will serve both the clientele of the many all-inclusive properties of the region and a more intrepid clientele who wish to explore the beauty and culture of Yucatán in autonomy.
“Tulum joins the four other destinations in Mexico served by Air Transat: Acapulco, Cancun, Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta. This marks an important step in our development strategy in Mexico, one of our main southern markets. We have always listened to our customers and we’re responding to the growing demand for this region, allowing them to start their vacation even more quickly and simply.
“In addition, we have expanded our offering to Air Transat’s flagship destinations for winter season 2024-2025 and increased the frequency of flights to certain key destinations in Europe. Particularly in France, which we have been serving for over 30 years now.
“By adding Nantes to the French cities served by direct flight throughout year, we’re once again strengthening our leadership in this market, becoming the carrier of choice for tourism and family reunions on either side of the ocean, between France and Quebec. This fits into the continuity of our operations towards the French provinces, after Paris, Marseille and Lyon. Finally, we have recently added a weekly frequency for this winter additional to Marrakech as well as to Puerto Vallarta.”
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Which destinations are likely to be most popular this winter?
Adamo: “For the coming winter season Cancun, Punta Cana and Puerto Plata remain popular, as do Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. On the European side, it’s the Iberian cities of Lisbon, Malaga and Porto. These cities are served year round by Air Transat and benefit from a temperate climate and abundant sunshine, making them very attractive in winter for travellers who wish to enjoy the mild weather without necessarily fly to the tropics.”
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In Morocco, what are the most popular tours?
Adamo: “Since the inaugural flight between Montreal and Marrakech in June, Morocco remains one of the most
Joseph Adamo
popular destinations within the Transat network. And we’re seeing great success especially with the Grand Tour of Morocco (14 nights) and the Kasbah & Oasis circuit (7 nights).
“For us, this clearly demonstrates the interest from travellers for Morocco, especially when they choose the tour with the most overnights in order to really get to know the culture, customs and the fascinating history of this country. It also underlines the strength of the Transat tours, recognized throughout the industry for the competence of the guides, the careful selection of stops on the program and high-quality accommodation.”
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At the beginning of the summer, Transat’s President and CEO Annick Guérard suggested that she would like to develop North Africa, or even Africa. Why this continent, and what would be the next destinations planned?
Adamo: “Since the Montreal region welcomes a significant number of Canadians of North African origin, we’re not ruling out an exploration of other opportunities for connections to North Africa, depending on demand and trends in this region. Air Transat currently remains the only company to serve Marrakech by direct flight from Canada, which in my opinion constitutes a solid first step in this market.”
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Could South America also see expansion, based on the performance of Transat’s new Lima program?
Adamo: “Our team of specialists in air route development is continually on the lookout for ways to enhance our portfolio of destinations within the parameters of our fleet and its capacity. As we continue to listen to our customers and capture demand directly where it is, we rigorously study high potential routes and niche routes in the transatlantic and the South.”
This story originally ran at ProfessionVoyages.com
