If you read my blog regularly I’m sure you will have noticed my love of Canada. It’s a fabulous country with many exciting cities, stunning landscapes and warm and welcoming people. I’ve flown there with several different airlines, many more than once and now have a firm favourite, both on price and service. Here are my Air Transat reviews and guides to the different ticket types.
This Montreal-based leisure airline flies to 63 destinations in Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America and Europe – 30 countries in all, specialising in holiday destinations.
Please note this is not a sponsored post although Neill and I did get a complimentary upgrade to Club Class for review purposes. As ever, I will only share my honest opinions with you, otherwise, there’s little point!
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Table of Contents
Air Transat Reviews | Why Fly to Canada with Air Transat?
I’ve flown with Air Transat four times now, in both Economy and Club Class, and I have also used their Option Plus upgrade. Whichever class I’ve been in I have always found their flight attendants to be friendly and helpful, the flights leave and arrive punctually, and the onboard service and meals have been very good. What’s more, whenever I’ve searched online for the best flights to Canada (and I’ve tried a few different flight search websites), Air Transat regularly comes up as the cheapest.
I hope the following Air Transat reviews will help you decide which option is best for you.
Air Transat Economy Class Review
With comfy, ergonomically designed Italian leather seats that are more spacious in seat width and legroom than other low-cost airlines, friendly flight attendants, excellent in-flight entertainment, reliability and a good food and drink service, Air Transat Economy Class almost has you thinking that you sat in an upgraded seat by mistake.
I’ve flown Economy Class a couple of times and found it extremely good. The only negative thing I could say was that on one flight, when we were sitting immediately behind Club Class, we were forgotten during a drinks service. A quick nod to the flight attendant and it was immediately corrected with their apologies, so no big deal!
In-flight entertainment
Depending on your flight this will be provided by a screen in the seat in front of you or via an app you download in advance onto your phone, iPad or Android device. I’ve tried both and found them excellent – I do love being able to choose which films I watch (and they have a great selection) and being able to pause a film whenever you wish is so convenient. Games, music, and TV series are also available.
Bistro Meals
From 1st May 2018, transatlantic flights include a two-course meal with a glass of wine or non-alcoholic drink. For example, chicken breast in a garlic and ginger sauce, served with jasmine rice with red peppers and parsley followed by a small dessert. They can cater for most dietary requirements if booked in advance. You can find further details here, Special Flight Meals.
Chef’s Menu by Daniel Vézina
Included in Club Class but also available to economy passengers for $25, Air Transat has teamed with the renowned Quebec chef, Daniel Vézina, to bring you a selection of gourmet meals on its flights, inspired by his signature recipes. An appetiser and main course are served with a glass of wine and are followed by cheese, crackers and a dessert. The main course shown below was excellent – pulled beef shepherd’s pie with yellow potato, goat cheese and leek purée, sprinkled with toasted bread crumbs and Swiss cheese.
Kids Club
If you are travelling with children aged between 2 and 11 years old then do check out the Air Transat Kids Club. It’s free and offers loads of benefits, not just for the children.
Don’t forget your travel adaptor
Worldwide travel adaptors are perfect no matter where you are travelling from or to. Buy this one from the US or this one from the UK
. It’s pretty much the only one you’ll ever need.
Air Transat Economy Class with Option Plus Review
With Option Plus you can treat yourself while still flying in Economy. Benefits include an extra piece of checked luggage, priority boarding, an alcoholic drink and a comfort kit of a blanket, eye mask, neck pillow and natural wood earbuds. You can find more details here, Option Plus.
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Air Transat Club Class Review
Who doesn’t like to turn left and head for the posh seats when they get on a plane? It’s a rare treat for me that I thoroughly enjoy. If you are flying for a special occasion, be that a honeymoon, a birthday, an anniversary or simply an indulgent getaway with the girls, Club Class is the way to travel in style and my Air Transat reviews wouldn’t be complete without discussing the merits of this luxury option.
Perks include two pieces of checked luggage and priority service at the airport. Onboard, we had very comfy wide seats with plenty of legroom, a welcome cocktail, a blanket and slippers and a comfort kit with a leather wash bag containing toothpaste, toothbrush, hand and body lotion and an eye mask. Depending on your flight, you may also get the use of an iPad or a screen in the seat in front of you, to watch the in-flight entertainment, not to mention a gourmet meal from the Chef’s Menu by Daniel Vézina, plus complimentary drinks and snacks. I particularly loved the coffee served with whipped cream and a choice of spirit, including Baileys, Brandy or Whisky – a lovely surprise.
What stands out most in my mind from flying Club Class was the quality and amount of food and drinks on offer, the excellent flight attendants and the attention to detail. Nothing was too much trouble. The seats were extremely comfortable with a number of handy cubbyholes for storing things that you want readily to hand, charging points and bottles of water. All the little extras that are included are so useful. They’ve even thought of hand and body cream to help you fight the drying atmosphere inside any plane.
When looking for the best flights to Canada, I suggest you check out Air Transat and consider flying Club Class. The price varies but you can find out more here, Club Class. On my most recent flight to Canada with my husband Neill, we couldn’t have had a better start to our holiday.
I hope my Air Transat reviews have helped you decide on which option is right for you.
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Don’t forget your travel insurance!
I never travel without insurance. WorldNomads‘ travel insurance is available to people from over 130 countries. It’s designed for adventurous travellers with cover for overseas medical, evacuation, baggage and a range of adventure sports and activities many of which aren’t covered as standard with other insurance policies. You can buy and claim online, even after you’ve left home. It’s a great choice for long-term travellers or single trip holiday insurance.
Electronic Travel Authorization: Essential documentation for visiting Canada
UK nationals (and anyone else, except U.S. citizens, who does not hold either a valid Canadian passport, Canadian Permanent Resident Card (PRC) or a Canadian visa, as well as a valid passport), need to purchase an eTA before they travel to Canada. It currently costs $7CAD and it is quick and easy to apply on the Canadian Government’s website. Don’t use any other site to purchase your eTA. There are sites that say they’ll apply for you, but they are completely unnecessary, and you’ll end up paying more than you need to.
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My wife ,Kanwal Marwaha and I have flown 5 x to Montreal by AIRTRANSAT .We, found the crew excellent
with a smile.Very hand picked and extremely well trained staff.Great service from RICHARD our flight purser.We ,normally fly to Montreal from Gatwick and vice versa .Superb flight on the 30th May from Montreal to gatwic.Flight no: 728.Please,convey our huge thanks to RICHARD and the crew for their wonderful heartfelt service .We , are seniors and will be flying again in September.to our daughter in Ottawa via Montreal.
Fly every year to Toronto air transat very friendly helpful crew can’t fault them thank you air transat
Admittedly I’d never heard of them until now – they sound like an ideal alternative to the extremes of low-cost carriers and the pricey airlines. I’ll bear them in mind for my next trip to Canada – which can’t happen too soon!
Can I come too, please! I’m longing to go back to British Columbia to go whale watching with a company called Kingfisher who go out in kayaks. Sounds fabulous and a low impact experience.
I was really impressed with Air Transat when we went out to Canada last year – especially for the price. Club Class sounds like a great idea for my next trip though to get that extra level of service and food without having to pay a fortune.
I was really impressed with all the different classes. If Air Transat can offer this quality and value, why can’t other budget airlines even come close to matching it?!