Air Transat reaches tentative agreement with flight attendants' union

By Allison Lampert and Rajesh Kumar Singh

(Reuters) - Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat said on Thursday it had reached an in-principle agreement with the union representing its flight attendants, averting a possible strike during the busy holiday travel season.

The deal to renew the Transat collective labor agreement, which is subject to a vote, comes as flight attendants at several U.S. carriers protest for better pay and work rules in their new contracts.

Transat's release said details of the agreement will be presented to members in the coming days. "Travelers can enjoy their travel plans with peace of mind," it said.

United Airlines flight attendants, who are demonstrating nationwide on Thursday, as well as their counterparts at other carriers, like Transat, are demanding an end to an industry practice of not paying for their time during boarding and waiting around the airport before and between flights. Currently, they are paid only for the period when the aircraft is in motion. Delta Air Lines is the only U.S. carrier that pays its flight attendants during boarding time. Earlier this month, flight attendants at Southwest Airlines voted down a tentative five-year contract deal that would have made them the highest paid cabin crews in the industry. The agreement, however, did not provide for boarding pay.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), who represent the 2,000 Transat workers, would not divulge details of the contract until they are discussed with members.

In late November, Transat flight attendants voted to authorize a mandate to strike, which would have become legal as of Jan. 3 under the Canadian Labor Code.

(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal, Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago and Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Bill Berkrot and Sharon Singleton)