Air Transat Passenger Reviews and Air Transat Passenger Trip Reports

My wife and I recently took flight TS296 and TS297 from Calgary to Glasgow and return we would like to say the flights were excellent from check in to landing on both flights. The new cabin lighting and design made the flights more relaxing. We will definitely fly with them again.

Toronto to Athens, May 26/13 - Checked in online a few hours before flight. No good seats left (our fault due to late check in), check in at airport went off fast and effortlessly. Older plane with no individual screens. Row 27 (middle), right at the washrooms. The meals (3 choices) and service were good. Seats were comfortable enough. Entertainment was fair. Return was the same style of plane (Row 24, window this time). No individual screens. Meals (3 choices) and service were good. My only complaint is Air Transat really should be using the newly configured planes for all the long haul flights over 6 hrs. It would make the very long flights more enjoyable.

Flew from BHX to YYZ on A310, had read some very negative reviews about the airline and aircraft, so was very nervous about what to expect. But overall it was a good pleasant flight, definitely more value for money as the fare was really cheap. Just like any other North American carrier the service and cabin wasn't what you find on Asian or European carriers but having said that the crew certainly made up for it with a great friendly attitude. Being a dual national I travel to Canada every year and have used AC/BA in the past, but will certainly try to book with AT the next time.

My wife and I have just returned from a holiday in Canada. This was our first trip to Canada, which was great, and our first experience of Air Transat, which was not so great. Unfortunately my wife is Coeliac so therefore needs a gluten-free meal. Despite having requested and received confirmation from our travel operator, that gluten free meals would be provided on both the outward bound and return flights these did not materialise. At the Air Transit check-in desks we asked the attendants if the requested gluten-free meals were on board and both times we were told no. One individual even suggested that we should just go and buy something. It is time that Air Transat and, in our experience, most other airlines take these requests seriously and act responsibly.

On the outgoing trip from Toronto to Gatwick, all was well, we got bumped up to Club class. Return trip was not so good. We flew home from Glasgow on one of the ancient A310's, the staff were very good but the plane was cramped. We did not have individual screens for the entertainment, on a flight that long passengers should have a choice on what to watch. The food was awful, I am not even sure what it was they served. It's time Air Transat got rid of those relics and updated their fleet.

We flew YYC to AMS in May. Our flight was on time and boarding was painless. Seats in front on the way over were middle seats, new cabin. They were average. On the way back we had rear seats, row 41 by the window. There was lots of room and the wider aisle was great! It seemed that everyone forgot there were washrooms at the back because there was not a lot of traffic. Meals were what you would expect. We bought option plus and enjoyed pre boarding, first choices, and quick baggage. Return trip was in an older plane, but fairly comfortable, would fly with them again. For the money and lack of a stopover it was worth it.

May 19, 2013, Cuba to Montreal. My vacation started well, but ended in a nightmare. First, the check-in went wrong. We travelled as a couple, paid for a VIP check-in and entered the line-up in the middle of the pack, but for some reason, we were the last 2 passengers to get our boarding pass. We couldn't even get seats next to each other. I tried to speak with an agent on board to see if we could be relocated to sit together, but no one seemed to care. Onboard, the service was horrible. Always were the last ones to be served and I couldn't even order a sparkling wine, chips or chocolate because flight attendants were too busy attending to other passengers or attending the option plus passengers first. The overall experience was very disappointing with Air Transat. Will not book with this carrier anymore nor recommend it to anyone.

My trip was from Montreal Pierre-Elliot-Trudeau to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. I had to fly what I thought was the oldest Airbus A310. The seats were okay if you're under 5 ft 10. Being over 6ft, I thought it lacked some room. The in-flight entertainment was poor, an old and boring movie. The food was bad, but typical of what you normally get on a plane (barely enough to get you alive in fact). The departure wasn't on time in Montreal, we lurked around the airport for more than an hour for some reason. The staff is fair. Would recommend if you're poor and stingy like me. You can have better if you pay more to another airline.

Just returned from Montreal and had a wonderful experience with Air Transat! We were supposed to fly with A310, but got the newest A330 instead! New plane with comfortable wide seats, new ipad style screens, good luggage compartments! The staff were helpful and assisted us with everything nicely, the food was what you typically get on the plane, the flight started on time, the boarding and check in ran smoothly. Nothing else to wish for. For the price paid (199) it was an excellent transatlantic journey for me.

Return trip to Edmonton from Cancun. On our way to Cancun, departing the Edmonton Airport we were 6 kg underweight. However, departing Cancun on April 28th was an entirely different experience. The staff member weighed our luggage and told us we were overweight by 8 kg. We did not do any shopping and did not purchase any items on our trip, our sole purpose of our trip was to get married. I was told there was no one I could speak with and if I wanted to make a complaint I would have to pay and conveniently make the complaint once I was back in Canada. We departed with less items then we came with and were being told we were over our limit. We were unable to weight our bags again and ended up paying $60. I feel we were targeted and forced to pay for something non- existent. I made a complaint upon landing in Edmonton last night.

Booked in August 2012 to fly from Manchester to Toronto in May 2013 for our honeymoon. Air Transat called in March 2013 to inform us that our Manchester flights had been cancelled and we could only fly from Gatwick on those dates. No apology was given, no offer of compensation or even transport to and from Gatwick. We were then offered alternate dates to fly to from Manchester which we took. Upon check in at Manchester it became apparent the seats we had booked had been changed due to the change in dates, after some discussion we were offered extra legroom seats for free which were excellent. The flight took off and landed on time, it was an old plane with shared screens playing videos during the flight. The food was edible and came with a very small glass of wine. The return flight which was also on time was a refurbished plane with new leather seats and personnel touch screens. If they hadn’t cancelled our flights I would have given them an excellent rating for the price but I would not trust making expensive holiday arrangements that rely on one of their flights again following this experience.

I thought they did fine until it came time to leave Cancun. The bus trip which was also organized by Air Transat was only supposed to take an hour and a half, which ended up taking 2. After being late to get to check in, I was told that I would have to either return to the back of the check-in line to remove my camera bag or pay $30 extra. I was told they would not check my luggage if I attempted to remove anything at the counter. When I questioned their logic and explained the situation with the late bus I was given a sneer and a sassy comeback. So all in all it left a bad taste in my mouth about them.

LGW to Toronto, I was very impressed. When booking I was a little apprehensive about using Air Transat for a business trip, I needn't have been. The experience was exactly the same as national flag carriers who were 3 times the price. The planes were on time and were modern. Good in seat entertainment and the crews were professional and courteous. Most of the plane was made up by large holiday groups of retired people, who were very friendly and well behaved. Not like your average business trip with grumpy middle age executives in a hurry. I will definitely use Air Transat again for trips to Canada and may consider using them for connections into the US.

Rome to Toronto. Only some small things irritated me: whilst sleeping and listening to music using their entertainment system, the announcements, which were much louder than the music, would often cut in and rouse me from my sleep. Extra problematic was having to listen to it again when repeated in two other languages. Other problems with the entertainment system was having to watch ads in the beginning of all videos, and the awful picture quality.

Made quite a few flights with the airline, the new refurbished fleet definitely makes the flights better. Check- in staff are good, FA's are usually nice. The meals are good. I still feel like they could give more legroom, the long haul flights are really tough to sit through. The TV features movies and TV shows and in the refurbished planes its in the seat in front of you.

We travelled as a group of 2 couples from Toronto to Punta Cana in early February. In spite of the stormy weather, flight was only delayed for 90 minutes and that was due to de-icing the plan. Seating was cramped and leg-room was sparse. Service was friendly and food was served efficiently. Return one week later was much better. The plane was larger and the seats were wider and provided extra leg room. Only one option for food by the time that the servers came to our seats. The in-flight movie was poorly timed and had to be shut off before the end to prepare for landing.

LGW-YYC return. 2 hours late leaving LGW due to water leak, on time returning. IFE good, food very average, my wife had no main meal on the return as vegetarian choice had run out. Not impressed by the 3-3-3 seating. Cabin crew very good both ways. We had these flights as part of a tour, so no choice of Airline. They would have to be very much cheaper than AC or BA to be our first choice.

Took a Christmas flight from London to Vancouver. This is the second time I have flown with the airline. I travelled on a newly refurb plan. I travelled with my family and we had a baby and paid additional money for the bassinet seat at the front. I really can't say one nice thing about this flight. The lighting is awful, fluorescent mood lighting which appear not to work and was directly over the bassinet, no method to dim. Seat arms are solid and could not be lifted up (unique to the front row middle) which is crazy. In addition, all the galleys have been removed, so there is one at the front and back with just row after row of seats. I fly a lot long haul and typically you have some space to stretch your legs or stand around. Not with this config. Food - rubber pasta with cheese sauce - this was not even edible. One positive point is they are cheap, you do get what you pay for.

I have flown with Air Transat many times as they are the only airline to fly direct from Manchester to Toronto. Now at the time of writing - 7th February 2013 - I am booked to fly with them on 15th May 2013, and back again on the 30th May 2013. So anything I put here carries the caveat that it may all go pear shaped at a later date. Having said that though, it's a case of so far so good. I have never had a problem as yet. The flights have left and departed on time, I have enough leg room and the seats are certainly big enough for me - an average sized person. The aircraft's are clean and tidy and I have found the food always to be hot and tasty. You only have to pay for alcohol from the bar but what the heck, you get complimentary wine with the meal. Staff are friendly and helpful. The entertainment can be a bit iffy at times but they are upgrading the entire fleet so teething problems are to be expected. I always take my iPod and a book just in case - it's just a matter or preparation. I would recommend Air Transat to anyone. The planes I have flown on are always full so they must be doing something right.

We flew from YYZ-Santa Clara, Cuba-YYZ. Jan 26 2013. Flights were on time for departure, even left a few minutes early. Was given a choice of hot dinner, wine with dinner and bar service, the option plus is a treat for extras, blanket, headsets, extra kilos and champagne bottle as welcome drink. On both flights the crew were professional and attentive. Both aircraft's were clean and comfortable. I will fly Air Transat again!

Flew Toronto to Gatwick, January 24, return on 31 January. Both ways very good flight. Outbound aircraft had the mood lights, that's the plus point. My reading light was on all the way, so the crew offer me an eye shade. Food and entertainment ok for 6 plus hours. Return same as, excellent crew, offered extra food and soft drinks. Value for the money, paid only $640.

We flew from Calgary to London Gatwick. The plane was old, the seats were cramped and my seat had no working entertainment, I had no music, no movie, no reading material. Sleep was impossible and we flew over night. The staff tried to help no but one returned to say if the entertainment could be repaired at my seat. Finally they told me it did not work but I could move - away from my wife which is not acceptable to me. I have never been so relieved to reach a destination. My patience was wearing thin. Never again.

We flew with our 7 year old daughter from London Gatwick to Toronto on January 10, 2013. This was the last leg of our World Trip and we had travelled on 9 different airlines as we travelled around the world and were now heading home on a Canadian carrier. Terrible! That is the word to describe the rude service of the staff on board. The airline claims it was voted as the number one Leisure Airline in the world. How can that be? They charge you for everything on board and when you ask for something the first thing they tell you is that there will be a cost involved. Enough already! We know just sell me the item I ask for. I will never fly with them again.

Flew from Toronto to Glasgow on Jan 09, returning Jan 24. Online booking and check-in was flawless, but no online check in for return flight from Glasgow. Schedule was well met in both cases, and meals were as good as you would expect to get on any airline, indeed much better than some of the majors we have flown on. Both aircraft were clean and comfortable enough for a transatlantic flight. With one exception concerning car rental through AirTransat which I will deal with directly, everything was perfectly acceptable and value for monies paid.

Flew Toronto-Gatwick Sep 10-Oct 17 - Options Plus. Very good flight both ways, food ok, seat ok. Very helpful with luggage and check-in.

Flew from Winnipeg, Canada to Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic on Jan 7 2013. Flight 266 an A310-300 was on time for departure, even left a few minutes earlier. Flight time was 5 hours and was smooth. Was given a choice of breakfast meals - either Spanish omelette with potatoes or a spinach omelette. Return flight 267 was even better, I asked for extra food and was given double what I had asked for, flight landed 15 minutes ahead of schedule back in Winnipeg.

I flew option plus from Calgary to London Gatwick on December 19. Flight delayed due to weather in Vancouver and our flight crew being stuck there but staff kept us informed and when the crew did show up they were apologizing to all the passengers waiting. Flight was great with all the extras included in the upgrade, very much worth the cost for the option plus! Flight back also delayed and it was over booked, upon check in they asked if I would fly back the next day. Air Transat counter was a bit out of the way at Gatwick but was posted and easy to find. I received a complementary upgrade to business class on the way home which was a real treat on a long flight! Overall very happy with the service, food, entertainment and seat! I had a new plane going, an old plane on the way back and overall for the low cost in comparison to other airlines I would recommend it to anyone!

Flew Gatwick to Toronto on 7 Jan, 2013 (TS623) economy. Flight was busy and left a few minutes late. Attendants were good and was food was, for the most part edible. Plane did not feature their full entertainment - however it had USB charging facilities. Seats were a little tight (9 abreast on an A330) - but tickets were cheaper than other carriers. The outgoing flight (on 16 Dec) was on one of their refitted planes, which offered better seating and entertainment, although featured similar identifiable meat for dinner! Lights not fully dimmed despite it being an overnight flight - which was rather frustrating!

London to Toronto with a connection with Westjet to Winnipeg. The long haul flight was cramped with virtually no leg room - the person to my right was very tall and he had to lean over me to fit into his seat. The inflight entertainment was a little TV screen that showed an old movie, food was not the best, but to be fair all economy food is mediocre at best.

UK-Calgary-UK. Seating cramped, no water in toilets to wash on return flight. Wanted payment for pillow and blankets (credit card in CAN$ only). 3 hours late going out, one hour late on return. Food mediocre, service mediocre, stingy on offering water and juice. Will not fly again with them and will not recommend them.

The staff at the boarding gate were very rude. Seats extremely uncomfortable! Food was terrible. Drinks were only offered when food was brought around. Inflight entertainment did not work on the flight from Europe to Canada (a very long flight with no entertainment). Return flight, sound quality was so poor you could not stand to listen to it anyhow. Customer service took over 2 months to respond to my complaints. They made an unscheduled stop and as far as I am concerned if I pay the extra money for a direct flight I expect to get a direct flight!

Excellent flight from YYZ-CDG and the staff were great. Flying back from GLA-YYZ was the worst experience. The same bag I carried on the flight to CDG and then from CDG to LHR, I was told it was too heavy to be a carry on, and that I was only allowed one carry-on despite the fact my other 'carry-on' was a laptop bag, in clear contradiction with their posted signage. I was fobbed off with 'corporate policy'. Leaving GLA, their entertainment was still shown on a tube TV, and they didn't stock a single vegetarian meal, leaving a half- dozen people eating extra loaves of bread - which were stale.

Manchester to Toronto October 23rd, Must be the worst Airline l have travelled on. Very little space, food was awful, entertainment screens are still in the middle of the plane, staff just did not seem interested and just to make matters worse they tell you that this airline has won awards in Canada. Never again.

GLA-YYZ and return a week later. Outbound flight delayed by 20 mins because of no-shows, we were informed. Very hot cabin. Airbus A310 was full, not much legroom in my middle seat. Service was standard, smooth flight, pilot pointed out Greenland as we flew over. Return was also full, very chatty attendant who must have mentioned that we were going to arrive ahead of schedule in GLA about 10 times before take-off! Also informed that we were flying on the day of Air Transat's 25th anniversary. A bit more legroom this time, (different A310 maybe?) again service was fine, slept for a few hours and awoke to landing in fog in GLA, smooth despite this. Transat are the only operator to fly this route direct and that's why I booked. Actually flew home a week earlier than originally booked and had to pay full price but this is explained when purchasing so can't complain.

Travelled to Toronto from Gatwick November 5th returning on November 9th. Flew Club class A310 out and A330 back, could not fault the whole experience from check-in to to baggage collection.

Flew Club Class from Toronto to Madrid. Sep 23/2012 back on Oct 15/2012. Booked Row 1 and despite what seat guru says it is a bulkhead both ways, can't straighten legs. Service was fine. Even though we had booked direct Madrid to Toronto they changed schedule days before we left to have a stop in Montreal with a plane change. When we got on new plane our seats were taken by Transat crew going to Toronto which reluctantly moved. Frustrating to fight for your seat after a 8 Hour flight.

We booked a flight from Newcastle Airport to Toronto Pearson. Check-in was smooth even though we had to wait half an hour after the scheduled check-in opening time. Boarding was relatively smooth as many people didn't know where the gate was. Departure screens were all broken so people only found out 10 minutes later. Once settled in we had very attentive service from the cabin crew. The food (pasta and beef) was nice but the pasta was slightly bland. We also had a pizza which tasted nice. In-flight entertainment was a shared TV screen but it was fine for the 7 hour flight. Also to mention, they need more toilets for economy passengers as 4 toilets for over 200 people isn't good enough. Flight was enjoyable but they newer planes with individual TV screens for everyone.

2 days prior to my departure I received I voice mail message from Air Transat to saying I was being downgraded to Economy class from the club class seat I had booked and been confirmed on 6 weeks earlier. Told it was due to plane reconfiguration. They were offering a $230 refund even though the upgrade cost almost $400 and a seat in economy. However they only had 2 seats available the in the very last row of the plane. I had no other choice than to cancel my travel plans due to what I was being offered. I guess the airline thinks that because they are the only direct flight to Manchester customer satisfaction is not important. Next time I will choose another Airline even if it requires a connecting flight.

We flew from Gatwick to Montreal on 1 Oct 2012. It was an old airbus. We were economy and for nearly 250 people 4 toilets were available as club class had their own. About two hours into the flight two toilets blocked and were unable to be used. Then another toilet blocked leaving just two toilets for all economy passengers. People complained as we had to queue and wait for nearly 20-25 minutes to use a toilet. Staff were pretty rude to a number of passengers who complained to them direct. It was agreed that the club class toilet could be used by those in economy. Our flight back we flew club class, we checked in on 14 Oct at Montreal all seemed to be ok, just as we were leaving the desk the operator requested our documents back again and removed two bar codes from them and put two others in their place. We asked if there was a problem with her doing this but she told us no all right now. We arrived at London Gatwick on Monday morning to find that all baggage we had thought was on the flight wasn't.

Club Class Toronto to Paris, Frankfurt to Toronto. I have no issues regarding the non-renovated A330-300 in which we flew Toronto to Paris - having two Club Class lavatories on this plane was very nice, service and food were excellent, and flight attendants great. Our flight from Frankfurt back to Toronto was one of the older A310-330, which was a complete embarrassment and insult to the whole Club Class experience. The condition of this old A310 has almost completely turned me off ever flying Air Transat Club Class again. For two passengers, I paid a fair bit of money for the Club Class experience on this flight, only to find that my headrest had become detached and was falling off the back of my seat. The armrests on both of our seats were worn bare and ripped from use, looking tacky and shabby. The seat ahead of me was not secured properly and as a result had twisted sideways into my seating area. The seats were worn and uncomfortable for this 9 hour flight. Come on Air Transat! Not having power ports, personal seatback video screens and air flow regulators is not acceptable when flying in this day and age. The shabby-looking cabins are not helping either.

Flew Rome-Montreal on the 8th of October. Although I was satisfied overall with the flight, I must warn people to be on the look out for flight schedule change without notice. My flight was advanced by 2 hours and I was never notified. I found out by chance and luckily was at the airport over 3 hours in advance. This not acceptable. People could easily miss their flight and be left stranded. Lack of consideration.

My husband and I travelled to and from Canada last month, flights on time. However we found the seats very cramped and aisles extremely narrow. The food was poor, complementary glass of wine amounted to 100ml. - with no top-up offered! It was not possible to tell the seniority of the cabin crew as no badges were visible and no distinction of uniform was evident. On our return journey which was overnight, the lights were left on most of the time - not conducive to sleep. We have both travelled economy class before with other airlines and had better service than we experienced with Air Transat.

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