Latest Progress Made in the Seven Areas Outlined in the Accessible Canada Act
1. Employment
At Air Transat, we strive to foster a work environment where our people can grow, thrive, and unleash their full potential. Our commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion fully reflect these intentions and guide us towards new initiatives.
One of our objectives in this respect, which is fundamental to how we do business, is to better understand who we are as an organization. To this end, since 2023, we have been distributing a self-identification survey to all Air Transat employees. Participation to this exercise is voluntary and all information provided remains confidential. The objective is to have a more detailed understanding of the experiences and concerns of people living with disabilities within our teams, by asking them if any accommodations could facilitate their full participation in their work environment and, if applicable, provide any suggestions. This initiative allows us to obtain a better portrait of the current representation of people living with disabilities within Air Transat and to identify improvement measures where necessary.
Since this is an evolving portrait, we have ensured that this survey remains available at all times. Thus, employees can modify their answers if their personal situation changes, and make new suggestions for accommodations, if necessary. We continuously review this data.
Furthermore, after undergoing training on inclusive recruitment to better analyze our human resources practices, the Talent Acquisition team has made improvements to the different stages of the recruitment process. For example, job postings are now written in a more inclusive language to foster diversity.
Finally, Air Transat managers participated in an awareness workshop on our diversity, equity, and inclusion plan and targets. Additionally, our Human Resources team prepared an inclusive leadership workshop for managers, which will be launched in June 2025.
2. Built Environment
We recognize the importance of ensuring that all built environments are accessible to people with disabilities. We ensure compliance with accessibility standards on our aircraft and in the design of our offices and other workplaces.
Furthermore, we have maintained our remote work policy to provide employees with the greatest possible flexibility in choosing the work setting that best suits them. We also provide them with best practice guides and tips to help them properly set up their workspace, both for in-person and remote work.
Finally, we conducted an assessment that validated the accessibility of our work environment.
3. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
We recognize the importance of providing our customers with optimal accessibility to all our telecommunication systems, computer systems, and networks, including our website and mobile app. Moreover, our website features a section dedicated to accessibility and special needs, which gathers all the information that customers might need when planning their trip.
Additionally, in line with our focus on prioritizing the latest available technologies, we commit to ensuring that these technologies are accessible to avoid adding obstacles for people living with disabilities.
3.1 Accessibility of Check-In Kiosks
Since the end of 2023, a new version of the Amadeus Altéa1 system has been integrated into the check-in kiosks to improve accessibility. This version complies with the core aspects that a product or service must provide to be considered accessible by Shared Services Canada, the federal IT services agency.
It allows people with visual, auditory, or motor disabilities to check in using automated features tailored to their needs. For example, the audio mode of the voice instructions automatically activates when headphones are plugged into the kiosk’s jack. This feature, necessary for people with visual impairments, also supports people facing other reading-related obstacles, such as dyslexia or low literacy levels, as well as those learning a new language.
The use of these check-in kiosks is meant to be as automated as possible. For example, voice instructions begin immediately after a pair of headphones has been plugged in. Audio mode is required by people with a visual impairment, but it is also helpful for users with other barriers to reading such as dyslexia or low literacy, as well as those who are learning a new language.
This new version complies with the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations of the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) and the national standard CSA/ASC B651.2-07, Accessible design for self-service interactive devices.
The kiosks used are owned, operated, and controlled by various Canadian airport authorities.
3.2 Accessibility of Our Website and Mobile App
Air Transat has an accessibility sub-committee, which includes IT integrators, webmasters, and web content writers. This group meets monthly and ensures:
- The application of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards to new features of our website and mobile app;
- Quality assurance testing of accessibility issues every time new content is deployed, or new pages are created;
- Making ongoing corrections using the Siteimprove accessibility tool and measuring their effectiveness;
- Training new team members on accessibility principles.
Thanks to these efforts, notable progress has been made since the establishment of the accessibility plan. In fact, the accessibility score of the airtransat.com website increased from 81.8% in June 2023 to 88.6% in April 2025.
This improvement comes from the correction of 47 elements related to development, content writing, user experience design, and the visual aspect of our website. Since November 2023, the accessibility score of the airtransat.com website has begun to exceed the industry benchmark set by the SiteImprove platform. In April 2025, it surpassed it by 6 points.
Moreover, since May 2025, following a redesign of the “Manage My Booking” section of the airtransat.com and transat.com websites, the assistance services requested during booking are now clearly indicated in the passenger information section. When consulting this section, customers who require special services can rest assured that their request has been taken into account.
The revision of the entire content of the Accessibility section of the airtransat.com website has also been completed. Clear and simple language has been used to facilitate the understanding of all contents.
Finally, our mobile application, which was completely revamped in 2023 and underwent an accessibility audit during its design, continues to be optimized according to WCAG standards.
4. Communication Other Than ICTs
The excellence of our services relies on communication between our staff and our customers. Therefore, our communication must be adapted to the diverse characteristics of our customers. We ensure that our team members communicate with people living with disabilities using clear, respectful, and accessible language. To this end, all customer-facing employees, including local airport handlers, who may be called upon to deal directly with the public, have received extensive accessibility training.
We also ensure that safety cards are available in large print and Braille on board our aircraft. Passenger safety information is available in audio and video format, with the option of being able to adjust the volume and font size as needed.
4.1 Expanded Accessibility Training
We ensure that our aircraft cabin crew members know how to respond to requests from passengers with special needs using clear, respectful, and accessible language. To this end, customer-facing employees and local airport handlers receive comprehensive ongoing training on accessibility.
Following this, we now recommend that the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATDPR) training program be followed annually rather than every three years. By doing so, we can ensure that our staff regularly updates their knowledge on accessibility.
4.2 Air Travel Activities Adapted to Children on the Autism Spectrum
In collaboration with Aéroports de Montréal, Giant Steps and Autisme Montréal, Air Transat has been organizing the Premium Kids event for 11 years now. The objective is to help children living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and with functional limitations to familiarize themselves with the travel process in a manner as true to reality as possible. From the parking shuttle to security screening, boarding, and customs, each stage of the airport experience is planned.
In the same spirit of providing an airport familiarization tour for families with neurodivergent needs, we participated in the second edition of “Ready, Set, Fly… with YYZ” in October 2024, an event organized in collaboration with Toronto Airport and Autism Ontario.
Premium Kids in Montreal and Ready Set Fly in Toronto are two examples of initiatives that help our staff better understand the unique needs of people living with ASD and acquire the knowledge on how to provide them with appropriate and adapted services.
5. Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities
We constantly adapt our practices to make our services as inclusive and accessible as possible for people with disabilities. In this regard, we always consider accessibility criteria in all our decisions and operations. We make it a point to factor in accessibility from the outset of our procurement processes to mitigate potential barriers.
5.1 Implementation of a Supplier Code of Conduct
As part of our accessibility plan commitments, we have implemented a new Supplier Code of Conduct this year. This code includes a non-discrimination clause that addresses accessibility, which our suppliers must pledge to adhere to:
’Any form of discrimination, particularly against staff or customers, such as discrimination based on gender, age, physical or mental disability, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religion, personal beliefs, marital status, or a criminal conviction that has been rehabilitated, is unacceptable. Suppliers must promote equal opportunities in hiring and work practices, including compensation.’
5.2 Aircraft Interior Design Project
We have integrated accessibility principles into our procurement process for the future interior design of our aircraft. All new airplanes will have to comply with these principles.
6. Design and Delivery of Programs and Services
We make sure that all our services and programs are developed and implemented with accessibility in mind.
6.1 Optimization of On-Board Services
Customer feedback and service shortcomings have prompted us to make operational changes and revise our training program to eliminate obstacles and better support our customers with disabilities.
As part of the revision and enhancement of our front-line staff training program, we consulted Kéroul, an organization that specializes in services for people with disabilities. By July next year, we will have completed the updated training for all Air Transat cabin crew members. This training covers a wide spectrum of possible disabilities, including various forms of neurodivergence.
In doing so, we ensure that the services offered to our customers meet our quality standards and comply with the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR).
Furthermore, the 206 new cabin crew members who joined Air Transat in 2024 have received training before they started working with the public. Current cabin crew members are required to undergo periodic online and/or classroom training as part of our three-year training cycle, which actively promotes a more personalized approach to providing services to customers and delivering pre-flight instructions.
6.2 Improvements to Ground Services
We have implemented various measures to improve the accessibility of ground services we provide in all the airports where we operate.
These include:
- Making regular updates to accessibility handbooks to ensure they include information that meets industry standards and aligns with Air Transat’s operational needs;
- Updating Air Transat’s handling label for mobility aids to more clearly and accurately indicate the types of manual mobility aids accepted, and distributing it at all destinations;
- Lifting the maximum weight restriction for mobility aids accepted onA330 aircraft to accommodate people travelling with heavier devices, and updating ground service manuals and the training program accordingly;
- Integrating accessibility training into the initial training program offered to new handlers and airport teams. This training is also provided annually to all airport teams as part of recurrent training.
We strive to review and act quickly and efficiently on comments received from our front-line airport personnel, our Customer Relations Department and our Contact Centre, with the necessary corrective measures or improvements introduced as needed. We also update our website regularly to ensure our customers have access to the latest information on requirements and specifications with regard to mobility aids.
Lastly, our ground services team has developed a comprehensive database detailing the facilities, services, tools, and devices available at all airports served by Air Transat. This has been integrated into our destination manual, allowing key services that interact with customers with special needs to quickly access information on the accessibility of services across the system.
7. Transportation
We do not manage ground transportation as part of our regular operations. Nevertheless, we are aware of how important it is to focus on eliminating barriers that customers with disabilities may encounter in the transportation used to access our services.