Airlines
AC Stuffs Stockings With More Flights
Air Canada kicked off the Vancouver Christmas season with a festive get-together at the Waterview event venue on False Creek late last week and brought good tidings of service expansions. Air Canada VP of global sales Duncan Bureau hosted the proceedings, and told invited tour operators, travel agents and partners that more international flights by the airline were scheduled for Vancouver in 2017. Upcoming for YVR by AC next year will be flights to Dallas, Taipei, Nagoya, Frankfurt and London Gatwick. Bureau reviewed the expansionary history of 2016, saying that the airline added...
EXCLUSIVE: Simply Not Enough
A transactional relationship between airline and passenger that starts with a reservation and ends with baggage pick-up at flight’s end is ``simply not enough,” according to IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac. That’s why legacy airlines must aim for long-term relationships with their customers in order to evolve from commodity travel providers into bespoke travel partners, he told the recent World Travel Symposium in Dubai. Getting there will involve a combination of marketing expertise, advanced communication technology and big data analysis, said de Juniac, who added,...
Transforming Partnership
As a part of its 5-year transformation plan, Kuwait Airways is teaming up with Amadeus. Under the stewardship of chairperson and CEO, Rasha Al Roumi, the Middle East’s first female airline CEO, Kuwait Airways has undertaken to implement a bold new strategy designed to revive the airline’s once pioneering legacy in regional aviation, with clear infrastructural changes and new technologies that will see it become the preferred airline linking Kuwait to the world, by 2021. The transformation process was unveiled in September of this year and was followed by the launch of the...
Aeromexico Flying High
Tis' the season for expanded air service between this country and Mexico City. Aeromexico is boosting the number of flights it offers between Canada and Mexico's capital, a move it says reflects growing demand fueled in part by Ottawa's decision to do away with visas for Mexicans wanting to visit Canada, a move that will take place just before the arrival of Christmas, reports Ian Stalker in this week's digital edition of Travel Courier. Dec. 2 will see Aeromexico begin offering 11 weekly scheduled flights to Montreal, while the following day sees the number of weekly flights...
Lift The Ban
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) are calling on the UK government to lift its current ban on UK-based airlines flying to Sharm el Sheikh. In a letter to UK prime minister Theresa May, The WTTC's president & CEO, David Scowsill and the UNWTO's secretary-general, Taleb Rifai stressed the importance of resuming operations to the Egyptian coastal resort as the current travel advisory is having devastating effects on the country’s economy and social stability. The ban has been in place since a Metrojet airline flying from...
Destination Canada, Air Canada Join Forces To Boost Tourism
Happy birthday, Canada! That's pretty much how the industry should interpret the new partnership between Destination Canada and Air Canada as the two join forces to promote Canada's tourism wonders to the world. The deal, reached on the eve of Canada's 150th birthday, is an innovative, three-year partnership that draws on the complementary strengths of the two organizations. As Canada's tourism marketing organization, Destination Canada inspires the world to travel to Canada and supports the tourism industry across the country. Air Canada, with the most extensive international...
Ancillary Growth Continues In 2016
CarTrawler and IdeaWorksCompany are projecting that airline ancillary revenue will reach $67.4 billion worldwide in 2016. The CarTrawler Worldwide Estimate of Ancillary Revenue represents a nearly 200% increase from the 2010 figure of $22.6 billion, which was the first year for the ancillary revenue estimate. Earlier this year, CarTrawler and IdeaWorksCompany reported the ancillary revenue disclosed by 67 airlines for 2015. These statistics were applied to a larger list of 178 airlines to provide a truly global projection of ancillary revenue activity by the world’s airlines in...
Delta Gives Back
To celebrate #GivingTuesday, Delta Air Lines is donating $1.5 million to select non-profit organizations who align with the company's focus on advancing education, expanding global health and wellness, promoting arts and culture, saluting armed service members and veterans, supporting global diversity and sustaining the environment. The contribution is part of Delta’s commitment to donate 1% of its net income from the previous year to key charitable organizations. In 2016, Delta is projected to give $37 million to charitable organizations. The six organizations selected, who...