Airlines
Air Canada Inaugurates Montreal-Raleigh Service
Air Canada has inaugurated a new, non-stop service between Montreal and Raleigh, North Carolina. Flights to Raleigh-Durham International Airport operate with a 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ). Flights are timed to optimize connectivity from across Air Canada's network through Air Canada's hub in Montreal. “Air Canada's strategic global expansion continues with the launch of Montreal-Raleigh, the 25th transborder route from our Montreal hub, connecting the southern charm of North Carolina and French flavour of Quebec. This new route complements our existing year-round service...
Air France Says ‘Au Revoir’ To Single-Use Plastics
It's the end of the road for plastic cutlery, cups, stirrers etc. at Air France. For this year's World Environment Day, passengers on flight AF 378 from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Detroit were offered products made of bio-based materials instead of single-use plastic items usually distributed on board, in keeping with airline rules and health regulations. Air France has announced a decision to eliminate 1,300 tons of single-use plastic. In this way, the airline will eliminate 210 million single-use plastic items by the end of 2019. They will be replaced by sustainable alternatives...
Smile Airways New Star Alliance Partner
Star Alliance has announced plans for THAI Smile Airways to become the next Connecting Partner in its global network. The chief executive board of Star Alliance, meeting on the sides of the 75th IATA Annual General Meeting in Seoul, approved the application of THAI Smile Airways to become a part the Alliance’s Connecting Partner model. The Connecting Partner model was established by Star Alliance in June 2016 to complement its membership model. In contrast to full membership in the Alliance, requiring building of commercial ties with all full members, the more regional...
Air Canada Offers Update On Transat Talks
Air Canada says that it's in the process of finalizing its binding agreement to purchase all of the issued and outstanding shares of Transat AT Inc. and its combination with Air Canada to create an industry leading, Quebec-based leader in the global leisure travel industry. On May 16, Air Canada announced that it had entered into an exclusive agreement with Transat regarding the proposed transaction and that the agreement was subject to Air Canada completing a 30-day due diligence period now expected to be complete towards the end of June. Air Canada's acquisition will result in job...
Swoop Celebrates One-Millionth Passenger
Swoop celebrated its one-millionth traveller on a flight from Edmonton to Hamilton earlier this week. William and Emily Burchat were surprised to be selected as the lucky recipients of a round-trip for two on Swoop and a commemorative, Swoop-branded, model aircraft. The pair were travelling to Hamilton with their twin infant daughters who were meeting their grandparents for the first time. A small Swoop team was on hand in Edmonton to kick off the festivities, which included celebratory décor and refreshments at the gate. Travellers were encouraged to record their favourite travel...
SAA, Alaska Airlines Launch Interline Agreement
South African Airways (SAA) and Alaska Airlines have established a new interline partnership which provides new and convenient flight options for both SAA and Alaska’s customers travelling between North America and Africa. Customers are now able to purchase a single itinerary for travel on flights of both carriers in one simple transaction and enjoy connections via New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport and Washington-Dulles International Airport between Alaska Airlines’ expansive North American network and more than 75 destinations in Africa served by SAA and its regional...
KLM Marks 70 Years in Montreal
Seventy years ago yesterday on May 29, 1949, members of the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines crew boarded a Lockheed Constellation 749 to welcome passengers on the first ever Amsterdam-Montreal flight. The “Batavia” touched down at Dorval airport on May 30, after two stopovers. The Batavia passenger list included Prince Bernhard of Holland, the husband of Queen Juliana, and Albert Plesman, president of KLM. Two of the three pilots on the inaugural flight were Canadian as, at the time, 50 of KLM’s 400 pilots were from Canada. As the flight approached, it was preceded by three Vampire...
Solid Passenger Growth Continues: IATA
Global passenger traffic results continued to rise in April, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) showing that demand rose by 4.3% compared to April 2018. April capacity increased by 3.6%, and load factor climbed 0.6 percentage point to 82.8%, a record for the month of April, surpassing last year’s record of 82.2%. Regionally, Africa, Europe and Latin America posted record load factors. Comparisons between the two months are distorted owing to the timing of the Easter holiday, which occurred on April 1 in 2018, but fell much later in the month in 2019. “We...