Airlines
Porter Ready To Shake Things Up
If it hasn’t already, it won’t be too long before it does, considering that Porter Airlines certainly has quite the ambitious expansion plan in place. Consider the fact that in 2021, Porter Airlines ordered 30 Embraer E195-E2 jets -- with purchase rights for a further 50 aircraft, worth US$5.82 billion at list price, with all options exercised (See story here). Now Porter has placed a firm order for 20 Embraer E195-E2 passenger jets, adding to its existing 30 firm orders. The carrier said that it will use the E195-E2 to extend its service to destinations throughout North...
Yucatan Has Big Plans For The Future
After successfully completing its “365 Days of Yucatan” campaign, the state of Yucatan has announced further work as part of its reactivation plan. The 365 Days of Yucatan effort took place in 2021 and 2022, during which time 365 tourism products -- many developed specifically as part of the campaign — were promoted to local, national and international visitors, and helped return visitor numbers to pre-pandemic levels. In the past two months, the state’s Ministry of Tourism (SEFOTUR) has announced a number of the newest additions to Yucatan’s tourism offerings, including...
Canada Jetlines Unveils Agency Commission Plan
Canada Jetlines Operations Ltd. has announced the launch of airline reservations for departures from Aug. 15, 2022, onwards, subject to final government approval which is expected well before Aug. 15, out of its travel hub at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to domestic destinations, Moncton, NB (YQM) and Winnipeg, MB (YWG). The carrier is also advising that travel agents and advisors who enroll with the carrier can earn up to 10% commission on all base fares when contracted directly with Canada Jetlines. Agents can register by clicking here. For information...
Not Ready For The Rebound
GlobalData says that while international travel from Europe was set to make a promising start to recovery in 2022, the chaos at many European airports is likely to hinder growth as queues and cancellations are quickly becoming air travel norms. The data and analytics company points out that airlines failing to adequately prepare for travel’s great comeback has resulted in staff shortages. Hannah Free, travel and tourism analyst at GlobalData, observed that: “International departures from European countries are expected to reach 69% of 2019 figures in 2022, according to...
IATA Calls On Canada To Drop Restrictions
IATA is again calling on the Canadian government to urgently discontinue the current COVID-19 related travel restrictions, noting that they are now out of step with the global trend of lifting travel restrictions and are partly responsible for the ongoing delays and disruption affecting air travelers across Canada. Peter Cerda, IATA’s Regional Vice President for the Americas, said that: “Canada has become a total outlier in managing COVID-19 and travel. While governments across the globe are rolling back restrictions, the Government of Canada is reinstating them.” Cerda...
Roundtable Responds To Return Of Random Testing
The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable has responded to the federal government’s announcement that it was reinstating random testing for air travellers. In a statement, the group said: "The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable is disappointed with the federal government's decision to re-introduce mandatory random COVID-19 arrival testing for fully vaccinated travellers, and mandatory 10-day isolation for any person who tests positive. As our industry works with government, agencies and partners to combat wait times and delays, this announcement marks a step backward that...
Canada Resuming Mandatory Random Testing Offsite
The Canadian government has announced that mandatory random testing will resume as of July 19, 2022, for travellers who qualify as fully vaccinated, arriving in Canada by air to the four major Canadian airports, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto. To qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller to Canada, travellers must have been vaccinated with a primary series of a COVID-19 vaccine accepted by the Canadian government for the purpose of travel at least 14 calendar days before entering Canada. All testing for air travellers, for both those who qualify as fully vaccinated and...
Heathrow Airport Imposes Capacity Cap
Heathrow Airport is imposing a capacity cap from July 11 to Sept. 11 and is asking airlines to “stop selling summer tickets to limit the impact on passengers” during that period. In an open letter to passengers on the capacity cap, Heathrow Airport’s CEO John Holland-Kaye writes: “The global aviation industry is recovering from the pandemic, but the legacy of COVID continues to pose challenges for the entire sector as it rebuilds capacity. At Heathrow, we have seen 40 years of passenger growth in just four months. Despite this, we managed to get the vast majority of...