Airlines
Air Travel Growth Continues in March
IATA reports that demand growth in air travel continued in March 2023. Highlights include: Total traffic in March 2023 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 52.4% compared to March 2022. Globally, traffic is now at 88.0% of March 2019 levels. Domestic traffic for March rose 34.1% compared to the year-ago period. Total March 2023 domestic traffic was at 98.9% of the March 2019 level. International traffic climbed 68.9% versus March 2022 with all markets recording healthy growth, led once again by carriers in the Asia-Pacific region. International RPKs...
Bell, Air Canada Take Off With New Initiatives
Air Canada and Bell have unveiled a multi-year partnership that will make it even easier to stay connected — both on the ground and in the skies. The partnership delivers on Air Canada and Bell's longstanding commitments to elevating the customer experience, while focusing on added benefits for newcomers and visitors to Canada, preparing them to connect to Canada's best network as soon as they land. Starting May 15, Air Canada and Bell will offer free messaging for all Aeroplan members worldwide on all Wi-Fi equipped aircraft across Air Canada's fleet, including Air Canada...
Porter Unveils Summer Schedule From Pearson
Porter Airlines has unveiled its summer schedule at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), with additional flexibility when travelling between YYZ and Ottawa (YOW), Montreal (YUL), Halifax (YHZ), Vancouver (YVR), Edmonton (YEG) and Calgary (YYC). The new schedule comes into effect on June 1, adding more desirable flight times that are well-distributed throughout the day. Certain routes will see a further increase in flights by August. A greater number of coast-to-coast connecting flight options via Porter’s YYZ hub are also created with this new schedule. Kevin Jackson,...
WestJet, Unifor Agreement Ratified
The first collective bargaining agreement between WestJet and the Unifor bargaining unit at YYZ was ratified by Unifor's members. Unifor is the certified union representing WestJet airport employees at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Diederik Pen, WestJet Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, said: "WestJet is pleased to share that the agreement negotiated with Unifor has been ratified by its membership. This settlement demonstrates WestJet's commitment to its employees, the long-term success of the airline and the communities we serve." The agreement will...
Emirates, Etihad Expanding Interline Deal
Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand their interline agreement and provide travellers additional itinerary options when visiting the UAE. This first of its kind agreement between the two UAE carriers aims to capitalise on opportunities to boost tourism to the UAE from key source markets by enabling visitors to experience more than one destination in a single itinerary. This summer, customers of each airline will be able to purchase a single ticket to fly into either Dubai or Abu Dhabi, with a seamless return via the other...
Air Transat Unveils 2023-2024 Winter Program
Air Transat has unveiled details of its 2023-2024 winter flight program from Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes. For Quebec travellers, slated to begin on Nov. 1, 2023. The airline continues to develop its operations, and will offer, at the peak of the season, more than 180 direct flights per week from Montreal and Quebec City to over 30 destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, the United States and Europe. At the peak of the season, Air Transat’s overall program will include over 300 direct flights per week departing from eight Canadian cities. In addition...
Martinique Celebrates Air Canada’s Toronto Flights
The Martinique Tourism Authority is celebrating Air Canada’s launch of a new direct flight between Toronto and Martinique. The launch of the route represents the culmination of a long-term effort and vision advocated by Tourism Commissioner, Bénédicte di Géronimo. This new route offering non-stop flights to Martinique will strengthen the bond between Canada and the Caribbean island, building upon a successful 14-year run of non-stop flights from Montreal. “This connection between The Isle of Flowers and the Canadian economic capital reinforces the presence of Martinique in...
IATA Welcomes Telcos’ Agreement to Extend 5G Mitigations
IATA says that it welcomes the agreement by AT&T Services, T-Mobile, UScellular, and Verizon to extend until Jan. 1, 2028 the voluntary mitigation measures for 5G C-band transmissions at 188 US airports. These mitigation measures, which were put in place in January 2022, concurrent with the rollout of 5G C-band operations at or near US airports, include lowering the power of 5G transmissions and had been set to expire July 1, 2023. However, IATA says that while the agreement is a welcome stop-gap development, it is by no means a solution. The underlying safety and economic...