Which US Routes Is Air Transat Serving This September?

Air Transat

is a Canadian carrier that focuses on leisure travel. The airline, headquartered in Montreal, was founded in 1987 and has grown its fleet to more than 30 aircraft. Today, the airline operates in Canada, Europe, the United States (US), the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Using its fleet of Airbus A320 family and A330 aircraft, Air Transat’s network has grown to about 60 destinations in more than 25 countries. The airline carries about five million passengers annually. Its reputation has grown through the offering of its all-in-one vacation packages, a service that has become popular among its customers.

According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, the airline has just 102 roundtrip flights scheduled to the US this month. In total, the airline has 20,224 seats available. This month, Air Transat has four US routes to three Florida airports.

Florida is a popular place to escape the colder weather in the north. Every year, when winter hits, the number of flights from Canada to Florida rises significantly, and Canadian airlines even begin to deploy widebody aircraft to the Sunshine State. This month, Air Transat is flying to Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Orlando, but none of the routes are served daily.

Montreal – Orlando

The flight from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to Orlando International Airport (MCO) is the shortest of the US routes and has 22 roundtrips this month. This breaks down to five weekly flights. Two different aircraft types are deployed on the route, the Airbus A321 and the A321neo, which has 199 seats, including 12 business class seats.

Photo: Joel Serre | Shutterstock

The flight schedule is as follows:

Air Transat faces competition from Air Canada on this route. Air Canada has nearly three times as many flights and its seat offering is nearly three times greater. All three Airbus A320 family aircraft are used by Air Canada from YUL to MCO.

Montreal – Fort Lauderdale

The second-busiest US route for Air Transat this month is from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). For the first week of the month, Air Transat had five flights and then dropped to four. With 20 roundtrips, the airline’s seat offering is just under 8,000 for the month.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

To Fort Lauderdale, Air Transat only deploys its Airbus A321s. These aircraft are set in an all-economy configuration with 198 seats. The flight schedule is as follows:

Air Canada also serves this route with three times as many flights as Air Transat. In September, all three A320 family aircraft are deployed between the two airports, with the A321 being used most-frequently.

Montreal – Miami

Despite serving Fort Lauderdale, one of the Miami area airports, Air Transat also has flights to Miami International Airport (MIA). Typically, carriers that fly to FLL opt to do so as the airport has lower operating costs than MIA. After operating two flights on the first week of the month, Air Transat now only has one weekly flight to Miami, operated by the A321neo.

Photo: Vernerie Yann | Shutterstock

The flight schedule is as follows:

Like Air Transat, Air Canada also serves both Miami-area airports. But, the two airlines also face very little competition from another carrier, American Airlines, which has one weekly flight between the two. Air Canada has one daily flight, primarily using the Airbus A319 but also the A321.

Quebec – Fort Lauderdale

The flight from Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) is the longest on this list. At 1,507 miles, the flight from Quebec to FLL is operated once weekly on the A321neos. Air Transat faces no competition on this route.

The flight schedule is:

Total US-Canada flights

Data shows that Canadian airlines have more than 16,000 roundtrip flights this month and Air Transat has the smallest market share with 102 flights. Porter Airlines has grown its market share significantly with the addition of the Embraer E195-E2 to its fleet, and has more than 1,800 flights this month. The new E-Jets have helped Porter reach destinations like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and more.

Photo: Welshboy2020 | Shutterstock

With its E2s and Dash 8-Q400 turboprop aircraft, Porter is operating up to 34 roundtrips this month. The busiest route is from Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Just yesterday, the airline doubled its flights to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Southern California.

Air Canada has the largest market share by far. This month, the Star Alliance carrier has almost 11,500 flights scheduled across the US-Canada border. Its seat offering is more than 1.3 million, and includes some Boeing 787 flights.

The two remaining airlines are WestJet and Flair Airlines, operating 3,230 and 230 flights respectively. Between the two, there are more than 550,000 seats available.