Air Transat Expands in U.S. and Europe. U.S. Flyers May Be Interested.

This article includes reporting by Daniel Ross.

Canadian airline Air Transat is adding more flights to U.S. and European destinations, including the only nonstop service from North America to Valencia, Spain.

The expansion to Europe could be interesting to connecting U.S. flyers, too, as Air Transat is cooperating closely with Porter, another Canadian airline that flies to several U.S. airports.

The changes take effect in the summer 2025 season, which begins for airlines on April 1.

Let’s look at where Air Transat is expanding.

More Florida From Montreal

Air Transat (French for “deck chair”) has long had its base in the leisure market in the French-speaking province of Quebec. Its core business is flying tourists to sunnier destinations, especially during the Canadian winter. It has also been increasingly focusing on vacation destinations in Europe during the summer.

That focus on the South is leading the airline to bet on growth in Florida. Simple Flying reported that the airline is boosting its flights from Montréal-Trudeau (YUL) to Orlando International Airport (MCO) — from 10 to 14 flights per week beginning in summer 2025. Air Transat also flies from Montreal and Quebec City (YQB) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL).

The airline didn’t say when the added frequencies will start or when they might end, but this is likely a seasonal service.

Fly to Valencia on the Airbus A321

Air Transat is among the growing number of airlines using the single-aisle Airbus A321 on long-haul routes across the Atlantic.

Next summer, Air Transat will start flying once a week from Montreal to Valencia, Spain (VLC), using an A321LR, the jet’s long-range variant. The 7-hour flight will be the only long-haul service from Valencia, which is Air Transat’s fourth destination in Spain after Barcelona, Madrid, and Malaga.

Air Transat does have a premium class on the plane, though it doesn’t feature lie-flat seats. Instead, it has recliners, similar to what U.S. flyers see in first class on domestic flights.

On the beach-lined Spanish coastline, Valencia is the latest lesser-known European city to be added to the list of destinations with nonstop flights from North America.

The service will operate on Fridays (outbound) and Saturdays (inbound) from June 20 to October 3, 2025, with the following schedule:

• Depart Montreal (YUL) at 9 p.m. and arrive in Valencia (VLC) at 10:05 a.m. (+1)
• Depart Valencia (VLC) at 11:55 a.m. and arrive in Montreal at 2:10 p.m.

At $670, the cheapest fares departing Montreal are excellent value — especially considering it’s common for airlines to charge extortionate fares on routes where they’re the only operator. Round-trip fares in Club Class start at $1,580.

Air Transat is also increasing frequencies on other European flights:

• Toronto-Pearson (YYZ) to Amsterdam (AMS): From 7 to 10 weekly flights
• Montreal (YUL) to Basel-Mulhouse (BSL): From 3 to 4 weekly
• Montreal (YUL) to London-Gatwick (LGW): From 2 to 3 weekly
• Quebec City (YQB) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG): From 5 to 6 weekly flights

On these flights, Air Transat operates both the A321LR and the twin-aisle A330.

The Air Transat-Porter Partnership

On the face of it, Air Transat and Porter Airlines are unlikely allies. The former is a leisure airline that mostly flies people on vacation, and the latter is a smaller carrier that markets itself to business flyers, based on service and friendliness.

But their networks are complementary. Air Transat flies long-haul to places Porter does not, and Porter has a more extensive route map within Canada and to the U.S. Thus, you could fly Porter from a U.S. or Canadian airport to Montreal and catch a connection there to a European airport not served by the major carriers, like Valencia or Basel.

It helps that you can do this from a single platform, buying tickets on either airline’s site for a flight connecting onward with the other airline.

Final Thoughts

Air Transat is not on the radar of most U.S.-based flyers since it has historically focused on transporting Canadians to vacation spots.

That may be changing, though, as the Canadian airline expands to the U.S. and Europe and offers one-stop connections across the Atlantic via its partner Porter Airlines.