Airlines
Transat Flight Attendants Reject Tentative Agreement
Air Transat flight attendants voted 93.2% to reject a tentative agreement reached on June 6 with the employer to renew their collective agreement. Their union, the Air Transat Component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), proposes that the parties return immediately to the negotiation table. If no new agreement is reached by July 8 at 11:59 p.m., the union will initiate pressure tactics that might include a strike. On June 1, flight attendants voted 98.5% in favour of a strike mandate. “Air Transat management is requesting a substantial increase in our workload....
Rouge Rings in Third Birthday
Air Canada Rouge celebrates its third birthday tomorrow (July 1), having grown since its inaugural flight in 2013 into an international leisure carrier with 1,600 employees, a fleet of 44 aircraft and a network of 100 routes touching five continents. “After three years of rapid growth, we will mark our third birthday on Canada Day by proudly operating 123 flights carrying more than 23,000 customers. Air Canada Rouge was first introduced as a leisure carrier in 2013 to serve Mexico, the Caribbean and select destinations in Europe. With investments in our fleet, network, and product,...
Happy Birthday, QTR
Qatar Airways celebrated its fifth anniversary of services to Montreal yesterday (June 29) and marked the occasion with a special fare promotion available through July 1. Flights to Dubai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Bombay and Delhi are on sale. In addition, the airline has launched a Facebook contest giving Canadians a chance to win a pair of tickets to the destination of their choice with departure from Montreal. Qatar is running the new promotion through July 1 on all travel from Sept. 18 to June 10, 2017. Travellers can visit...
WestJet Introduces Halifax Service From YVR, Winnipeg
WestJet has introduced new non-stop service to Halifax from Vancouver and Winnipeg, the only carrier to do so. The inaugural flight from Vancouver to Halifax launched yesterday (June 29) and flights from Winnipeg to Halifax begin July 2. Both of these seasonal, direct flights (four times weekly) have been timed to connect conveniently to WestJet's Halifax and Vancouver hubs from its extensive domestic network. WestJet now offers 23 daily flights on 13 routes from Halifax Stanfield International...
ATTACK ON THE INNOCENT
Travel industry leaders are condeming the June 28 attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport as “cowardly and murderous.” Reports indicate that 41 people – including 13 foreigners – are dead and 239 people have been wounded in an attack carried out by 3 suicide bombers. There are also additional reports indicating that the toll of dead and injured from the attack may rise. TURKEY RESPONDS In a statement following the attack, Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism stated: “We would like to express our gratitude for [those who] showed their support to the Turkish Public...
Summer Travel Tips
Summer is here and Air Canada is offering some tips to help ensure a smoother travel experience. For the latest operational updates, customers are invited to visit aircanada.com, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook, as well as sign up for specific flight notification alerts. Additional information on what to expect and do in case of flight disruptions is available at http://www.aircanada.com/en/news/160607.html. Operational news is available in the Daily Travel Outlook under the Flights section at the bottom of the home page at aircanada.com. Before leaving...
WestJet Encore Celebrates Three Years
WestJet Encore celebrated its third year in the sky on June 24. The airline, powered by Canadian-made Bombardier Q400 aircraft, recently broke the six million guests-flown mark. “We've had a dramatic impact on the new markets we've served since our launch three years ago,” said Ferio Pugliese, WestJet Encore president. “New WestJet Encore airports experience a 50% increase in traffic on average, with some airports experiencing triple-digit percentage growth. Average fares in these same markets have fallen 20 to 40%, year-over-year. We've created an entirely new set of air...
WestJet Adds New Routes
WestJet has launched new flights from Edmonton to Hamilton, Ont., and Winnipeg (pictured) to Kelowna, BC. Flights are available for sale as of today (June 27) with service commencing July 28. “These are cities we presently serve yet don't connect with non-stop flying,” said Bob Cummings, WestJet executive vice-president, Commercial. “These routes have been on our radar for a while now and with the busy summer flying season upon us, we examined our fleet plans to see if there was extra flying we could provide.” Hamilton-Edmonton flights will operate four times weekly...