Airlines
Back to Business With Air France and KLM
Air France and KLM are looking ahead to the fall resumption of business travel activity with a new contest for travel agents. Until Dec. 15, agents can sign up for the “Back to Business with Air France and KLM” contest. All Air France and KLM departures from anywhere in Canada are eligible, and the grand prize is a pair of Canada-Europe tickets in Economy class. Tickets sold in Business Class or World Business Class give three chances to participate; those in Premium Economy are good for two chances and those in Economy get...
Ethiopian Airlines Spreading the News
Ethiopian Airlines (ET) welcomed more than 100 travel agents to the Port Credit Yacht Club last night (Sept. 22) to spread the news of its thrice-weekly service between Toronto and Addis Ababa. Africa's largest airline, ET is also celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, a landmark that belies a fleet that is under five years old, says an airline rep, who adds that the YYZ service is a great way for Canadians to get to Africa directly – without connecting in Europe – with a vast flight network on the continent beyond the Ethiopian capital. Pictured is ET's Canadian team:...
Air Canada to Launch Montreal-Shanghai Flights
Air Canada has announced the introduction of daily year-round flights from Montreal to Shanghai, China beginning Feb. 16, 2017, marking the airline's first direct service to China from Montreal, as well as the introduction of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft on flights departing from Montreal. Tickets will be available for purchase on Sept. 28. “Building on Air Canada's success in the rapidly growing Chinese market we are delighted to announce Air Canada's first direct flights between Montreal and China with the launch of Montreal-Shanghai service next year,” said Air Canada...
AC Begins Construction On New Pearson Hangar
Construction of a new $90-million aircraft hangar is underway at Toronto Pearson Airport. Air Canada broke ground on the new facility this week. The hangar will support the airline's ongoing expansion of its Toronto global hub. Once complete, the Hangar 5 building will cover an area equal to seven professional hockey rinks and accommodate five aircraft at one time. “Air Canada is demonstrating its commitment to international expansion at its Toronto global hub by investing $90-million on this project to create a new hangar. We have grown our Toronto operations by more than 50%...
WestJet, Hainan Airlines Expand Relationship
WestJet has entered into a codeshare agreement with Hainan Airlines, allowing it to place its HU code on WestJet-operated flights. The two carriers are building on an existing interline agreement that has been in place since 2013. Hainan will be marketing HU codeshared flights to and from Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax. All codeshare sales are offered through Hainan Airlines and its global distribution network. “The Chinese travel market is vast and growing; our newest codeshare with Hainan...
Feds Extend Leniency Period for New eTA Requirement
To give travellers and airlines more time to prepare for upcoming changes when flying to or transiting through Canada, the federal government is extending the leniency period for the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) requirement until Nov. 9. Starting Nov. 10, Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, will need a valid Canadian passport to board their flight to Canada otherwise they will experience delays. All visa-exempt travellers (with the exception of US citizens) will need an eTA to board their flight. In March, Canada introduced the eTA requirement for visa-exempt...
Taking Off – Yeah!
The Conference Board of Canada reports that pre-tax profits in Canada’s air transportation industry are expected to average $1.5 billion a year over the next five years. That's nearly three times better than over the past decade, according to The Conference Board of Canada’s latest outlook for the industry. The report points ou that Canadian airlines have rarely enjoyed such beneficial external factors as it has in recent months. Findings include the fact that: U.S. citizens are flying to Canada in record numbers as the relatively low value of the loonie makes Canada a...
Preparing For The Future
IATA's Passenger Agency Conference (PAConf) has adopted resolutions that support the development of the New Generation of IATA Settlement Systems (NewGen ISS). Aleks Popovich, senior vice-president for financial and distribution services for IATA, observed, “IATA Settlement Systems are the financial back office of the air transport industry. Since its introduction 45 years ago, the Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) has successfully facilitated the distribution and settlement of funds between travel agents and airlines, which totalled more than $230 billion in 2015." And he...