Air Transat and WestJet Airlines have agreed to co-operate on a code share agreement for transatlantic travel.
The deal will allow travellers to book flights to Europe involving both airlines on a single ticket with through-checked bags.
Under the arrangement, WestJet’s code will be placed on Air Transat flights to select cities in Europe, while Air Transat’s code will be placed on select WestJet flights in North America.
The agreement is expected to be implemented early next year, subject to regulatory approvals.
Code-share agreements allow airlines to sell tickets to places they don’t fly to on flights operated by a partner airline, and they allow airlines to increase their market presence and make it more convenient for travellers to fly with them.
Earlier this year, WestJet expanded an existing code-share agreement with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
In July, the Calgary-based airline said it would be able to market flights operated by KLM, which it said meant WestJet travellers would be able to easily transfer through Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to 18 European cities.
WestJet says that code-share agreement built on the airline’s new non-stop service between Calgary and Amsterdam, which increased to three times weekly in September.
KLM already had a code-share agreement with WestJet that allowed the Dutch airline to sell tickets on flights operated by WestJet in Canada.
The arrangement between Transat and WestJet comes as the airlines look to rebuild after the pandemic devastated the travel industry.
Earlier this year, a deal that would have seen Air Canada acquire Air Transat parent company Transat AT was cancelled after the European Commission indicated its unwillingness to approve the transaction.