Airlines
Air Canada Resolves Computer Issues
Air Canada reports that it has resolved computer-telecommunications issues that affected operations earlier today, but notes there will be delays and some cancellations due to the outage. The airline is advising customers to check the status of their flight and check-in online at https://www.aircanada.com before going to the airport. Benjamin Smith, president, passenger airlines for Air Canada, said: “The computer and telecommunications issues affecting our operations have been resolved and we apologize for any inconvenience this situation has caused. We appreciate our customers'...
NewGen ISS Set To Roll In Canada
Canada is going to be among the first four countries to pioneer the implementation of the New Generation of IATA Settlement Systems (NewGen ISS) when it goes live here and in Sweden on March 26. The “most extensive and ambitious modernization” of the Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) since it was created in 1971 is already operating in Norway, to be followed by Finland next week. “As the first market to implement NewGen ISS, travel agents and airlines in Norway are in the vanguard of a vital transformation to modernize the industry's settlement functions while ensuring the...
Air Canada To Launch New Kauai Service
Air Canada is launching new service to Kauai, Hawaii with its new mainline Boeing 737 MAX-8 fleet this winter. The airline is doubling the frequency of its flights from Western Canada to Hawaii, and all flights from Western Canada to Honolulu, Maui and Kona, and other popular sun destinations will feature AC's 737 MAX aircraft. “The introduction of the fuel-efficient Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft to our fleet has given us tremendous flexibility to strategically enhance our already extensive North American network, and offer more flights to popular destinations with more connection...
WestJet President Saretsky Retires, Sims New President
WestJet has announced that Gregg Saretsky, president and CEO, is retiring from the company, and Ed Sims appointed as his successor. Having found his successor, Saretskey agreed with the company that his retirement will be effective immediately. “For the past eight years, it's been my privilege to lead team WestJet through a tremendous period of growth and success,” said Saretsky. “I am pleased with the continued growth and profitability we've achieved together. With plans well underway for the launch of Swoop and the introduction of the 787-9 Dreamliners on the horizon, as...
Driving Innovation
Amadeus has announced the creation of a dedicated program to drive the industrialization of NDC and ensure its success for all travel players. New Distribution Capability (NDC), created by IATA, is an XML-based data transmission standard that holds huge promise for the travel industry, and will enable travel companies -- from airlines to travel agencies -- to evolve travel distribution and merchandizing. With this in mind the NDC-X program will bring together experts from across Amadeus' business, and will focus on practical use cases of the standard, adopting a test and learn...
All-Female Crew To Mark International Women’s Day
To celebrate International Women's Day, Brussels Airlines is operating an all-women crew flight from Brussels to Accra, where Women's Day is widely celebrated. The flight is a symbolic action to strive for more equality. On March 8, flight SN289 with a 100% female crew takes flight to Accra (Ghana), where both the Brussels Airlines country manager and station manager are women. In the cockpit will be Captain Daniela and First Officer Marie. The service in the cabin will be managed by Veronique, Patty, Xandra, Isabelle, Maité, Ingrid, Caroline and Peggy. With this symbolic flight,...
Travelport Maps Out The Future
Travelport has unveiled its product roadmap to extend its content offering to airline customers using IATA's New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard; and enabling travel agency customers to access such content via Travelport's platform. In December 2017, Travelport was the first, and is still the only, GDS operator to achieve IATA's highest certification as an NDC Level 3 Aggregator. The company is now consolidating and extending its lead by industrializing its NDC capability and incorporating NDC content within its suite of products for airlines and travel agencies. The products...
Sabre, Porter Connect
Travel agents now have access to Branded Fares for Porter Airlines when using the Sabre system. Sabre-connected agencies will find a simple display and comparison of brand attributes for each fare type. This helps provide agents with product information that best matches the needs of customers. “A clear, straight forward booking process has real benefits for travel agents,” said Michael Deluce, executive vice-president and chief commercial officer for Porter Airlines. “Sabre helps make this possible with its Branded Fares display.” Porter has three fare types: Firm,...