Airlines
Sunwing Goes Back To Tobago
After a successful inaugural season in 2018-2019, Sunwing has announced it will be returning to Tobago this winter with weekly direct flights from Toronto. Sunwing is the only Canadian leisure carrier to offer direct flights to the destination, with flights operating weekly from Dec. 19, 2019 until April 16, 2020. And Sunwing’s direct flight service to Tobago has had a positive effect on the island’s tourism industry, with arrivals increasing throughout Sunwing’s inaugural season. Andrew Dawson, president of tour operations for Sunwing, observed, “We are excited to be...
Hogg Resigns As CX CEO
Rupert Hogg has resigned as the CEO of Cathay Pacific and Paul Loo has stepped down as the airline's chief customer and commercial officer. Both resignations have been accepted by the carrier's board of directors. Following the departures, Augustus Tang has been appointed CEO, succeeding Mr. Rupert Hogg; while Ronald Lam has been named chief customer and commercial officer, succeeding Paul Loo. Lam will remain CEO of Hong Kong Express until a successor has been appointed. John Slosar, chairman of Cathay Pacific, commented: “Augustus Tang and Ronald Lam have the experience and...
Air NiuGini BSP Canada’s Newest Member
AirlinePros Canada Inc. reports that Air NiuGini (PX/656) is now an active member of BSP Canada. Air NiuGini has opted for mass e-plating (general concurrence) so that all fully IATA-registered travel organizations in Canada may start issuing tickets on PX e-stock without delay. PX can booked in all major GDS systems such as Amadeus, Sabre and Apollo. At this time PX is “cash only,” but steps are being taken to introduce credit card acceptance at a later date. Agents may claim 5% commission POS on International PX operated flights with PX fares that do not include...
Sunwing Finalizes Winter Schedule Without The MAX 8
Sunwing has announced that all flight services during the coming winter season will now be operated without the Boeing 737 MAX 8. The new schedule comes into effect on Nov. 5 and runs until mid-May 2020. While the move has been prompted by the ongoing worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, officials said that being able to offer an excellent customer experience and provide their clients with much-needed reassurance while planning their upcoming winter vacation with confidence were equally important factors in their decision. President of Tour Operations for Sunwing, Andrew...
WestJet Sale To Onex Gets Competition Bureau Approval
WestJet Airlines Ltd. has announced that the Canadian Competition Bureau has granted unconditional approval for WestJet's proposed transaction with Onex Corporation by issuing a no-action letter. Ed Sims, WestJet's president and chief executive officer, said, “Receiving unconditional approval from the Canadian Competition Bureau is another important step on our path to closing the transaction. We continue to engage with the relevant authorities on the remaining approvals.” The Arrangement is still subject to other conditions to closing, including receipt of the remaining...
New AC Montreal-Seattle Service Aboard Airbus A220-300
Air Canada has announced it will operate year-round, non-stop service between Montreal and Seattle on its newest narrowbody aircraft, the Airbus A220-300. The new flight, which offers customers Business and Economy class service with Air Canada's newest in-flight entertainment system, onboard WiFi and more, will start in the spring of 2020. Air Canada's two-class cabin on the A220 will have a total of 137 seats: 12 in a 2x2 configuration in Business Class and 125 in a 3x2 layout for Economy passengers. Every seat on the A220 features a Panasonic eX1 in-flight entertainment system...
Norwegian To Discontinue Transatlantic Routes
Norwegian will discontinue its transatlantic routes – which includes service from Hamilton, Ont., originally operated by the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft this September. The decision follows months of substitute aircraft and wetlease operations covering the airline’s routes due to the global grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft. There are no changes to the 46 nonstop routes operated by the Dreamliner from the United States to Europe. “Since March, we have tirelessly sought to minimize the impact on our customers by hiring, so called wetleasing, replacement aircraft to operate services...
One ID: A Step Closer To Reality
End-to-end seamless travel across borders came a step closer to reality when IATA member airlines meeting in Seoul for this year’s AGM unanimously resolved to accelerate the global implementation of the One ID initiative, which will be based on a single biometric identifier to move passengers through airports without the need for paper travel documents. Prior to the vote, IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac told delegates, “One ID will boost efficiency from check-in to boarding to the benefit of passengers, airports and control authorities.” “To make this happen we...