Airlines
American Adds YVR-, Calgary-Chicago Service
Travellers from western Canada will soon have more choice when American Airlines (AA) launches new scheduled service between Vancouver and Calgary and its Chicago O'Hare hub next year. Both services will be available to book from Dec. 4. Customers flying from YVR and YYC will have nonstop access to the Windy City and the option to connect on to American’s network of more than 130 destinations in 12 countries. Flights from YVR will launch on May 4 and will operate year-round, using 160 seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Flights from YYC will operate on a summer-seasonal basis,...
Celebrating Travel Together
Okay, here's your trivia question for today … both Thomas Cook and Cox & Kings have been around for 100 years … can you name another? Well, if you said Collette you'd be spot on and in 2018, the Rhode Island-headquartered tour company will be pulling out all the stops as it celebrates its a hundred years in the tour operating business. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that's a long, long time. Yet as Ron Lonsdale, director of strategic partnerships – Canada for Collette, sees it, the company's longevity is due to the quality of its leadership team and the fact...
Taking The Initiative
Transat may be facing fierce competition on several fronts but the company is fighting back with a series of initiatives to boost efficiency, simplify operations and reduce costs, reports Montreal editor, Mike Dunbar in this week's digital edition of Canadian Travel Press. According to company CEO Jean-Marc Eustache, Transat moves some 4.5 million passengers a year, including almost one million Europeans; it boasts revenues in the $3 billion range; flies to some 60 destinations, evenly divided between Europe and the South and employees a team 5,000 strong located in Canada, the UK,...
Lufthansa Reveals New Business Class Concept
Lufthansa has unveiled the concept for its new Business Class, which will be available for the first time in 2020 with the roll-out of the Boeing 777-9. The new seat is the key element connected to the service and comfort level in the cabin. With the new seat, Lufthansa guests will experience beds with a length up to 220 cm (86.6 inches). The comfort and convenience of the seat aids in facilitating a restful sleep, and the construction of the back rest makes it possible for the shoulder to sink in when you are lying on your side. This keeps the spine straight and allows those that...
WestJet Unveils WestJet Link
WestJet has introduced WestJet Link, a new regional air service operating under a capacity purchase agreement (CPA) with Pacific Coastal Airlines. Using Pacific Coastal Airlines' aircraft painted in WestJet colours, WestJet Link will connect the communities of Lethbridge, Lloydminster, Medicine Hat, Cranbrook and Prince George to WestJet's rapidly expanding network hub at the YYC Calgary International Airport. All WestJet Link flights will be operated by Pacific Coastal using its fleet of 34-seat Saab 340B aircraft. Each aircraft will include six seats available in WestJet Plus,...
Transat Winners
Transat has announced the winners of the last edition of its Surprise Dates contest, held on Nov. 14, the anniversary date of its inaugural flight 30 years ago. For the Ontario-Atlantic region, Emily Vail of CAA Travel in Guelph, Ont. will spend a week at the Meliá Las Dunas resort in Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba. And the Western Canada winner, Nicole Deibert of AMA Travel in Red Deer, Alta. will fly off to the Meliá Peninsula Varadero in Cuba. For the Quebec-Ottawa region, Véronique Thouin of Club Voyages Repentigny wins a holiday package for two, including Air Transat flights in...
WestJet Makes Time For Agents
WestJet hosted members of its Travel Agent Advisory Board (TAAB) for two days of discussions and planning at the Grand at Moon Palace in Cancun this week. The session was attended by 39 TAAB members representing 34 travel agencies across Canada. Both corporate and leisure agents were invited to share their feedback and had the opportunity to engage with WestJet employees face-to-face. The agenda for the meeting included presentations by Jane Clementino, director of agency sales at WestJet, and members of WestJet's revenue and pricing and technical operations...
Interjet Celebrates Canadian Service
Mexican carrier Interjet is inviting passengers travelling with it between Canada and Mexico to stretch their legs a little while airborne. This fall has seen the airline begin linking Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver with both Mexico City and Cancun, and an airline that has traditionally had a somewhat low profile in this country says it has a couple of aces up its sleeve when it comes to attracting Canadian clients, among them being able to offer them added comfort. Miguel Arana Martinez of the airline's head office told PressToday during a Wednesday Toronto gathering that...