The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, March 15, edition that Desjardins Securities analyst Benoit Poirier has reaffirmed his "hold" recommendation for Transat AT. The Globe's Darcy Keith writes in the Eye On Equities column that Mr. Poirier trimmed his share target by $1.75 to $4. There was not much to like in Transat AT's quarterly results, which suffered from the threat of a strike by its flight attendants, engine issues impacting some of its aircraft and increased leasing costs of its aircraft. An engine issue that has currently grounded four of its aircraft pressured profitability. Meanwhile, the leasing market has tightened as many carriers are looking for additional aircraft following continued industry challenges, including delivery delays for the problem-plagued 737 Max aircraft, leading to price increases. As well, the threat of a flight attendant strike had significant impact on bookings. Mr. Poirier says in a note: "The persistent speculation resulted in lower bookings and higher cancellations. Transat's load factor decreased to 80.2 per cent (down from 84.5 per cent last year) and its yield declined 3.1 per cent year over year."