The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that however the Air Transat labour dispute is resolved, the damage has been done. Guest columnist Steven Tufts writes that passengers were rightly panicked at the prospect of holiday travel plans being disrupted or even being stranded. It is the second major disruption to air travel in Canada in the past six months, following Air Canada's flight attendant strike in August. The causes of these tense rounds of negotiation are partially self-inflicted. Air Transat and the Air Line Pilots Association, or ALPA, negotiated a 10-year agreement that expired this year. ALPA also represents pilots at Air Canada, where a strike was barely averted in 2024 as they, too, had to negotiate a new agreement after a decade. Air Canada's dispute with its flight attendants also followed a 10-year deal. Long-term deals are rare for a reason. They provide stability for employers, but conditions can change wildly over a decade (unforeseen pandemics, as one example). All the while, the government has loomed large in labour disputes in the airline sector as employers relied on back-to-work orders or legislation. If employers know a strike will be ended quickly, why bother to negotiate?