Airlines
Above & Beyond
Where were you when the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship? Well, for close to 400 of the Canadian travel industry's finest, the answer to that question is they were at the second annual Agents' Choice Awards Gala at the Arcadian Court in Toronto. It was a night of celebration and anticipation as Baxter Media unveiled the results of the 20th Anniversary edition of the Agents' Choice Awards Readership Survey, and – with all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood's Oscars – presented awards to the 2019 favourite suppliers as selected by the 6,512 travel agents from across Canada...
WestJet, Onex Deal Clears First Hurdle
WestJet Airlines Ltd. has announced that Onex Corporation has received approval from the Minister of Transport (Canada) on the basis that the proposed acquisition of WestJet by Onex does not raise public interest issues as related to national transportation. WestJet and Onex entered into a definitive agreement on May 12, 2019, for the proposed acquisition of WestJet by Onex under a plan of arrangement pursuant to which each outstanding share of WestJet will be exchanged for $31.00 in cash (the "Arrangement"). Receipt of the Minister of Transport's approval is one of the conditions...
Air Italy: All About That ‘Italian Feeling’
Morena Bronzetti says those who travel from Toronto to Milan on Air Italy's new route between the cities will quickly be able to see reminders that the carrier is based in Italy. Bronzetti, the airline's vice-president of sales and distribution, says the carrier's planes will “give you the Italian feeling as soon as you step on the airplane.” Among other things, Italian wines are served to passengers and those passengers can also dine on the likes of pizza and gelato, she notes. Air Italy began the route on May 6, offering six weekly flights between Milan and the Ontario...
Escape To The Sun With ACV
Air Canada Vacations has launched its lineup of winter 2019-2020 flights onboard Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge. The new lineup features 25 new flights and significantly expanded capacity in Western Canada. New this year, Air Canada Vacations will offer a nonstop route from Ottawa to Varadero, Cuba operating on Mondays starting Dec. 23, 2019. In addition to the new route, there are a further 24 new flights to the Sun: In the West: 14 additional flights per week to Mexico, including 3 new flights from Vancouver to Cancun (now daily), 2 new flights from Vancouver to Puerto...
Brainstorming In Calgary
WestJet welcomed members of its Travel Agent Advisory Board (TAAB) to its head office in Calgary for two days of interactive feedback, planning and discussion last week. The two-day conference was attended by 40 TAAB members representing 35 travel agencies across Canada. Corporate and leisure agents had the opportunity to meet with WestJet employees, share their feedback about upcoming initiatives and attend presentations by vice president of sales and distribution, Chuck Crowder and agency sales director, Jane Clementino. There were brainstorming sessions and in-depth workshops...
Reason For Celebration
In its first year of operation, WestJet Link carried over 195,000 passengers between Calgary and five cities in British Columbia and Alberta. Since its inception last June, WestJet Link has operated over 7,000 flights between WestJet's home and largest hub in Calgary to Cranbrook, Lethbridge, Lloydminster, Medicine Hat and Prince George. Guests from these areas have benefitted from more choice, lower fares and better connectivity through the service. Brian Znotins, vice-president network planning and alliances for WestJet, said: “WestJet Link is working the way it was designed to...
Air Canada Salutes Its Indigenous Employees
Air Canada marked National Indigenous Peoples Day by highlighting the achievements and contributions of its Indigenous employees. This week, AC185 from Toronto to Vancouver, operated with Air Canada's flagship Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was flown by an all-Indigenous full crew of two pilots and nine flight attendants. The flight was also supported by Indigenous employees on the ground. And you can check out a video – https://vimeo.com/343369521 – that features the crew and the flight's traditional Musqueam welcome on arrival at Vancouver is here. Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, senior...
Dynamic Year For Ukraine International
Ukraine International Airlines says its first year of serving Toronto has been a success, a sentiment echoed by some of the tour operators it works with. A Wednesday celebration at Toronto's Pearson International Airport saw Karl Muller of Airline pros, which works with Ukraine International Airlines, tell the audience that the carrier decided to switch planes from a B767 to the larger B777 on its Toronto-Kiev this summer to accommodate demand. “It's truly been a dynamic 12-month period...,” he said. “We'd like to thank all our friends and supporters from the travel industry...