Airlines
WestJet Making Music
WestJet has signed a three-year agreement with the National Music Centre (NMC) to be the airline partner for NMC's Artist in Residence Program, which is based out of NMC's new facility Studio Bell in Calgary. Studio Bell, which was unveiled on July 1, is the home of the National Music Centre – an international hub for music and technology that preserves and celebrates Canada's music story, while inspiring new music. The Artist in Residence Program invites musicians from across Canada and around the world to explore and utilize NMC's collection of artifacts, including the Rolling...
Toronto Pearson Heads For A Record
The summer travel season is in full swing, and Toronto Pearson International Airport is gearing up to welcome an average of 120,000 passengers per day throughout July and August, representing an additional 10,000 passengers per day over the same time period in 2015. Nearly 150,000 passengers are anticipated to travel through the airport on the busiest days. Airport officials point out that Fridays are typically the busiest day of the week during the summer months, with Toronto Pearson projecting that it will see its highest volume of passengers on the following days: July 29 -...
Porter Adds Thunder Bay Lift
Porter Airlines is increasing its flights to Thunder Bay from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in response to continuing strong passenger demand. The carrier will be operating up to six daily roundtrips as of Sept. 6, 2016. Three direct flights are available from Thunder Bay to both Ottawa and Montreal, after a short stop in Toronto. Passengers no longer have to deplane in Toronto and change aircraft, significantly reducing travel time by up to two hours. Thunder Bay was Porter’s initial destination in Northern Ontario and continues to attract new passengers. Robert...
Egencia Unveils New Air Shopping Experience
Egencia has announced the completion of its new air shopping experience for business travellers. This enhancement incorporates transparent access to multiple fares via the full availability of branded fares in a simple, easy-to-navigate air booking path. Many airlines in the North American market have moved toward branded fares inclusive of ancillary services and other benefits. By providing access to multiple fare classes, Egencia moves beyond “one size fits all" air searching to an individualized approach for business travelers. Its platform will provide full fare access for...
ACV Ups Western Canada Lift
With the addition of a Boeing 767 from Vancouver, Air Canada Rouge has increased its capacity in Western Canada by 242% for the upcoming winter season. As a result, passengers will now be able to fly non-stop from Vancouver to Cancun on Monday and Thursday, or to Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday and Friday. Plus, they can take advantage of increased capacity to Ixtapa on Wednesday, and Los Cabos on Sunday. Nino Montagnese, managing director, sun markets for Air Canada Vacations, said: “Our partners have been asking us for more air from the West for a number of years and now finally...
WestJet Gears Up For Winter
WestJet will be adding dozens of new flights to its domestic and international networks as part of its 2016-2017 winter schedule. WestJet's executive vice-president, commercial, Bob Cummings commented: “The addition of dozens of new flights demonstrates our commitment to invest in communities and serve Canadians now and in the future, a commitment backed by our established, trusted brand and caring, people-driven service.” Cummings said that: “These increases enable communities to stimulate development, improve infrastructure and grow their economies. As our network of more than...
Waking The Giant
Look out world! The sleeping giant that has been Air Canada Vacations (ACV) is in wake-up mode and readying itself to emulate the parent company’s dramatic expansion that has turned AC into a major global player, reports Montreal editor, Mike Dunbar in this week's digital edition of Canadian Travel Press. “The reason we’ve sometimes been referred to as a sleeping giant is because people can see the broader potential of the ACV brand and the business opportunities out there,” conceded Air Canada Leisure Group president Craig Landry, who has been at the helm of ACV and Air Canada...
Transat Flight Attendants Ratify Deal
Air Transat flight attendants have ratified the July 4 agreement-in-principle between their union and management to renew their collective agreement. The six-year work contract is now in force, retroactive to November 1, 2015. Air Transat's president and general manager, Jean-François Lemay commented: “We are very pleased that the proposed offer has been accepted by a majority of our flight attendants.” Go to http://www.transat.com for...