Air Transat Begins Flight Cancellations as Pilot Strike Looms. Air Transat says it will start winding down flights beginning Monday as the airline braces for a potential pilots' strike. The pilots' union issued a 72-hour strike notice on Sunday, warning that if no contract deal is reached, pilots will stop reporting to work on Wednesday. In response, the airline announced a gradual shutdown of operations to avoid chaos from a sudden halt. Air Transat called the strike notice premature, but union leaders insist the company has pushed them into a corner. Captain Bradley Small said no pilot wants to strike, but a year of stalled negotiations has left them no choice. Pilots are demanding updated pay, benefits, work rules and stronger job security to replace their nearly decade-old 2015 contract. The union says 99% of its 750 pilots voted to authorize a strike. Air Transat plans to cancel flights on Monday and suspend all flights by Tuesday to prevent passengers, crew and planes from being stranded overseas. Management says it's been bargaining in good faith and criticized the union's move as unnecessary.