Air Transat turns a Montreal traffic headache into a travel opportunity

Air Transat turned a recent Montreal commuting inconvenience into an invitation to get away from it all.

As road closures for last month’s UCI World Championships cycling event shut down swaths of the city, the airline and creative agency Courage put their own spin on the ubiquitous orange “Rue barrée” (“road closed”) signs, placing on-brand blue signage reading “Barrez-vous” (“get out of here”) in front of them.

The Air Transat signs included QR codes directing people to its ebsite, where they could explore travel packages, including all-inclusive getaways to the South and Europe available on promotion until Oct. 4.

Images courtesy of Air Transat

“With ‘Barrez-vous,’ we’re turning a very Montreal inconvenience into a simple and unexpected invitation to change your scenery to something more convenient,” Garcí Iñigo, VP of marketing and loyalty at Air Transat, said. “It’s exactly how we see marketing: creativity rooted in culture, brought to life in a way that serves both the brand and our offers.”

The work follows earlier Air Transat and Courage activations that similarly turned a consumer frustration into a travel opportunity. In May, the brand responded to fan concerns about FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket prices  into a real-time dollar tracker comparing the cost of select match tickets with Air Transat flights, positioning a trip as an alternative way to spend the money.