Airlines
Porter Deferring Service Resumption To July 29
Porter Airlines says it’s deferring its resumption of flights until July 29 – a month later than previously scheduled -- due to ongoing COVID-19 travel restrictions. Michael Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines, explained: “We want to see our planes in the sky as soon as possible and are actively working to prepare for our resumption of service. However, the ongoing uncertainty presented by government travel restrictions, including border closures, is impacting our ability to operate flights.” And Deluce added: “We are closely watching developments and know that...
Transat Takes Note Of EC Plan
Transat A.T. Inc. says that it has taken note of the European Commission's decision to open an in-depth (Phase 2) investigation to assess the proposed transaction with Air Canada. Currently, Transat is studying the EC's decision in order to prepare the next steps in the process. In a statement, Transat said that the extension is part of the EC's normal process of assessing the impact of transactions submitted for its approval, which is currently complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it is having on the international commercial aviation market. To take into account...
Summer Time, And Air Canada Is Taking Off
Air Canada is revving up its engines and is set for take-off, offering close to 100 destinations in Canada, the U.S. and around the world in an abridged summer schedule. And to ensure customers can book with confidence, the airline has implemented the Air Canada CleanCare+ biosecurity program and is introducing new cancellation options retroactive to March 1, 2020, to give customers greater flexibility and choice should their travel plans change for any reason. Lucie Guillemette, executive vice-president and chief commercial officer for Air Canada, said: “Air Canada has put in...
Airborne: Are We There Yet?
Baxter Media invites you to attend an informative webinar next Wednesday (May 27) at 12 p.m. (EST). This is one you definitely won't want to miss. Aviation is a key component that supports the complete tourism experience that includes Hotels, Resorts, Cruise Lines, Attractions, Local Ground Operators, Car Rentals, Trains and Coaches. The multiple daily headlines around the health of the aviation industry continue to be impactful with seemingly no landing in sight yet. Service resumption delays, mergers, receivership announcements, refunds, face masks, empty middle seats. Can we...
Airline Update: AF Phases Out A380s
Air France-KLM Group has announced the end of Air France A380 operations. The phasing out of the A380s had by scheduled for the end of 2022, however, it now fits better with the Group’s fleet simplification strategy of making the fleet more competitive, by continuing its transformation with more modern, high-performance aircraft with a significantly reduced environmental footprint. It also noted that the decision also reflected the impact that the COVID-19 crisis was having on “anticipated activity levels.” Five of the Airbus A380 aircraft in the current fleet are owned by Air...
A Road Map For Restarting Aviation
IATA has unveiled details of its proposed temporary layered approach to biosecurity for re-starting passenger flights amid the COVID-19 crisis. Biosecurity for Air Transport: A Roadmap for Restarting Aviation outlines the association’s proposal for a layering of temporary biosecurity measures. The Roadmap aims to provide the confidence that governments will need to enable the re-opening of borders to passenger travel; and the confidence that travellers will need to return to flying. Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO, said: “There is no single measure that...
LH Taking Off From Canada
Lufthansa says that it is planning to bolster the limited number of intercontinental flights to Canada with a resumption, in June, of service from Toronto. The carrier will ramp up with three weekly, non-stop flights from Toronto to Frankfurt beginning June 3. Additional Canadian flights are currently being evaluated and planned for later in the summer. The Toronto–Frankfurt flight adds a long-haul connection for Toronto-based travel to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. These include flights within Germany, as well as to cities in Austria, France, Italy, Spain and...
Air Canada Laying Off 20,000 As Of June 7
As Canadians prepared for the annual May 24 long weekend, media across the country began reporting the details of an Air Canada internal memo that indicates the carrier will be laying off 20,000 of its workers as the impact of COVID-19 cuts deep into its business. All of the company’s staff were advised in an internal memo of the layoffs which are effective June 7 and come following what the airline describes as a “fundamental review” of its business and the steps it has to take in order to emerge from the pandemic crisis and rebuild the airline. The numbers detailed in the...