Air Transat...Très Magnifique!

My recent Air Transat flights were between Montreal and Paris and between Punta Cana and Toronto.

I remember seeing a mammoth Air Transat Lockheed L-1011 at Cancun in the 1990's. The exterior paint job of the aircraft looked sort of like it came from a first grade art contest. They flew vacationers from Canada to the sun on air/hotel packages. I remember thinking that the chances of me ever flying this airline were pretty slim since I lived in Florida beneath the flight path of their jets headed from the far north to the deep south. It's over 15 years later and Air Transat has grown up beautifully! The L-1011's are gone, and they now fly a modern, immaculate fleet of A-310 and A-330 Airbus jets outfitted with leather seats and above average legroom.

Well, I had a chance to experience the Air Transat of today recently and a lot has changed! All I can say is, "when do they start flying to Miami?" This classy leisure airline is getting its fair share of business travelers these days as they have stepped up their service in a big way. Even during these periods of fluctuating fuel prices and unstable economic conditions, the management of Air Transat has kept their eyes on the customer experience. Last year they went so far as to add two inches of legroom at each row in the economy cabin and began serving meals created by President's Choice ( I tried the Chicken Curry. Delicious!) which are much better than coach meals I've had on most other airlines. A Club Class Cabin is available offering roomier seats, additional carry-on space, gourmet meals, and more. There are also two dedicated flight attendants in the Club Class section to make the trip that much more enjoyable! The menu in Club Class features scrumptious entrees accompanied by a complimentary selection of beverages and cocktails.

The flight crews were extremely friendly and attentive and offered several meal and beverage services. I felt very well care for from take off to touchdown. I noticed how pleasant the flight attendants were when dealing with families as they were extremely patient and helpful. It became very apparent that Air Transat goes out of their way to make families feel welcomed. Their Kid's Club offers VIP treatment to the children as well as the parents that are lucky enough to be traveling with them. They offer a special check in counter at the airport and even have a Kid's Club cart on the flight to adorn children with all types of trinkets and to drop off games to keep them entertained!

The rest of my trip with Transat Vacations was flawless, but I'll tell you about that later. I cannot wait until Air Transat begins offering their packages to those originating in the USA!!!