Airlines
It’s The Dreamliner
WestJet has signed a definitive purchase agreement with Boeing for up to 20 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. The deal includes commitments for 10 Boeing 787-9 aircraft to be delivered between the first quarter of 2019 and December 2021, with options for an additional 10 aircraft to be delivered between 2020 and 2024. The airline also announced it has selected General Electric's GEnx-1B engine for the 787. Gregg Saretsky, president and CEO of WestJet, said: “This order represents an exciting new chapter in WestJet's history. We have carefully executed on our strategic plan, first...
Making It Easier To Connect
WestJet has received IATA's New Distribution Capability (NDC) level 2 certification, which confirms the airline's ability to send and receive NDC messages. NDC is a program designed to enhance the capability of communications between airlines and travel agents. Lyell Farquharson, vice-president sales and distribution for WestJet, said: “The benefits of IATA's NDC are robust and clear for both the travel trade industry and the consumer. As WestJet continues to unbundle our products and add ancillary options, these new capabilities allow us to integrate and collaborate more...
Cummings To Lead WestJet’s Ultra-Low-Cost Airline
WestJet has announced the appointment of Bob Cummings as executive vice-president responsible for the yet-to-be-named ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) which will launch late in 2017 or early 2018. Cummings will have accountability for all aspects of this new venture, including planning, branding, pricing, product development and operationalization. He will also continue to drive other key strategic initiatives for WestJet. Cummings has been with WestJet since 2005, with almost 11 years at the EVP level with a variety of responsibilities. WestJet also announced the appointment of Ed...
Qatar Airways Launches Global Sales Campaign
Qatar Airways has launched a Global Sales Campaign, offering travellers reduced fares on flights across all cabin classes. The campaign runs through May 3 and features flights to any destination across the Qatar Airways’ network of more than 150 destinations for travel through June 21. Sample fares include India $910, Thailand from $1,000 and South Africa from $1,350. To take advantage of these offers, agents should visit...
Air Canada Takes Off To Three More
Air Canada welcomed a stellar group of its industry supporters to Malaparte at the TIFF Bell LightBox in Toronto last night (April 26) for a celebration – and there was certainly a lot to celebrate. “I'm proud of what's happening,” the carrier's vice-president, global sales, Duncan Bureau told his audience, continuing, “In 2016, 28 new markets were launched and in 2017, there's lots more to come.” And if that's not enough reason to celebrate, Bureau pointed to the fact that Air Canada was celebrating its 80th birthday in 2017; its planes are being decked out in a new...
Sunwing Launch – What An Experience!
There's no disputing that Bonaire is a new destination for the Sunwing Travel Group. The company held a Toronto show Wednesday night (April 27) updating travel agents on what's new for both Sunwing and Signature Vacations, with Lorraine Brisbois, Sunwing Travel Group's corporate manager of preferred partners telling the audience that Bonaire is so new to the company's lineup that it doesn't even appear in the new brochures the company was distributing last night. “We're very excited about the destination,” Brisbois told the gathering about an island known among other things for...
Keeping The Noise Down
PortsToronto opened its Ground Run-up Enclosure (GRE) at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (Billy Bishop Airport) recently – an event attended by Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport. The three-sided, open-top facility will accommodate commercial aircraft at the airport and is designed to dampen the noise associated with high-power aircraft engine ground run-up operations. It is located on the south-west side of the airfield and is only the second of its kind in Canada. The addition of the GRE facility represents a key new component in the airport’s Noise Mitigation Program as...
Authentically Canadian, Uniquely WestJet
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre was abuzz last night as WestJet kicked off its 2017 Travel Trade Expos in Toronto, welcoming more than 400 agents who had a chance to meet with over 60 suppliers to learn all about what WestJet and WestJet Vacations has in store for them in the coming year. And there's lots to learn, whether you look at product for both the airline and the tour company, but also with all the changes that are going to be taking place at WestJet over the next five years as it sets a course to become the world's “most caring” international airline. (To find out...