Airlines
No Plan, No Recovery
ACTA is warning that unless there is a plan for the recovery of this country’s travel and tourism industry, Canada will be left behind. The industry association has been outspoken in urging the federal government to develop a recovery plan, outlining what needs to be part of that plan in its 2021 Travel & Tourism Recovery Plan. And it also pointed out that while the travel industry is putting health and safety measures in place, it needs the government to work with industry on rapid testing, contact tracing, vaccine documentation and protocols -- in order to ease travel...
Just What’s Needed, A Good Push
IATA is welcoming the agreement between G20 tourism ministers to support the safe restoration of mobility by following the G20 Rome Guidelines for the Future of Tourism. The airline industry association is urging G20 governments to quickly follow up their endorsement of the guidelines with actions, particularly the five-point agenda to safely restore mobility: Sharing information among industry and governments to inform policies and decisions to ensure safe mobility. Agreeing common international approaches to COVID-19 testing, vaccination, certification and information. ...
Testing Costs Could Stall Recovery
According to IATA, the high costs of COVID-19 testing could put travel out of reach for individuals and families and the airline industry association is calling on governments to ensure that this doesn’t happen And IATA makes it clear that COVID-19 testing must be affordable – as well as timely, widely available and effective – in order to facilitate an efficient restart of international travel. In sampling the costs of PCR tests -- the test most frequently required by governments -- in 16 countries, IATA found wide variations by markets and within markets. The findings...
Delta, Sabre Sign Multi-Year Distribution Deal
Delta Air Lines and Sabre have signed a new, value-based, multi-year distribution agreement that the two companies say represents an industry-first model that creates value for the entire travel ecosystem, including travel agencies and travellers. Jeff Lobl, managing director of global distribution for Delta Air Lines, said: “Our vision is to shift the mindset of the entire ecosystem toward modern retailing, selling customers what they want, where they want it and how they want it across all channels.” Lobl added: “We are grateful to Sabre for their innovative and...
Sunwing Resuming Sudbury, North Bay Flights This Winter
Sunwing will be offering vacation packages from Greater Sudbury Airport and North Bay Jack Garland Airport, which flights beginning in December 2021 and running weekly until mid-April 2022. Andrew Dawson, president of tour operations for Sunwing, said: “We’re excited to be returning to Sudbury and North Bay this winter and offering Northern Ontarians seamless vacation experiences under our wing.” Dawson continued: “Our seasonal flight services from Sudbury and North Bay have been consistently well-received over the years. With convenient flights from their regional airports,...
Long-Haul Demand Stronger Than Expected
While conventional wisdom suggested that long-haul travel would be slower to recover due to travel restrictions, GlobalData reports that it appears that consumer confidence has not been deterred too drastically. The data and analytics firm reports that a recent survey revealed that 36% of respondents stated that they would consider an international trip to a different continent in the next 12 months – that’s eight percent more than the percentage of respondents that stated they would consider an international trip to a country within the continent in which they live. Ralph...
Transat, Government Reach A Deal
In announcing that it has reached an agreement with the federal government, Transat also confirmed that it will be offering refunds to travellers who were issued travel credits due to COVID-19 and for travel agents, it also confirmed that it would not be recalling travel agency commissions. Transat said in a statement that its funding agreement with the Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corporation (CEEFC) now allows it to offer refunds to travellers who were issued a travel credit due to COVID-19 for a trip scheduled to start on or after February 1, 2020. This policy applies to...
New Revenue Streams For Airlines From Expedia Group
Expedia Group has set a course to offer airlines an additional revenue stream in the wake of COVID-19 via its template technology, which provides travellers with the option of adding lodging or car to their flight booking. The easy-to-integrate technology from Expedia Partner Solutions (EPS) enables airlines to cross-sell additional travel components on their website such as hotel or car, made possible through access to Expedia Group’s extensive global supply. As well, it facilitates a full-service booking experience for travellers so they can book standalone travel components on...