Airlines
Demand Moderates In March
IATA reports that global passenger traffic results for March indicate that demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs) rose 5.3%, compared to the same month last year. Capacity grew slightly faster at 5.9% which pushed the average load factor down by half a percentage point to 79.6%. The airline industry association said that March performance showed a moderate slowdown on the year-on-year growth rates recorded in January (7.2%) and February (8.6%) even after adjusting for the leap-year impact in February. Demand for international traffic grew significantly more...
Cathay Pacific Opens New Lounge at YVR
A new executive lounge for First and Business class passengers on Cathay Pacific Airways opened at Vancouver International Airport last week. The airy lounge features a Noodle Bar staffed with a chef preparing selections of Hong Kong dishes, like wonton soup and dim sum. It faces on to a cosy dining room. On the other side of a divider is a lounge with couches, chairs and tables with built-in power sockets. The signature feature of the lounge is large, floor-to-ceiling windows that face north, with views of the runways, aircraft and Vancouver’s mountain landscape. Complimentary...
Air Canada Celebrates New Hamilton-Montreal Service
Air Canada and Hamilton International Airport hosted a group of travel agents May 4 at John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport to celebrate the launch of new non-stop service between Hamilton and Montreal. The double-daily service begins on May 24. Pictured at the event in Hamilton are Steve Goodfellow, director of sales – Eastern Canada, Air Canada, Tracey Bellamy, director, Global Accounts, Air Canada, Christine McKay, travel consultant, TravelPath, JoAnne Patterson, leisure and national groups manager, Vision Travel Solutions, Ancaster, and Mike “Pinball”...
WestJet Takes Off for London This Weekend
WestJet will launch new non-stop service between six Canadian cities and London (Gatwick) beginning this weekend. Flights from Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto begin tomorrow (May 6), while service from Edmonton, Winnipeg and St. John's begins on Saturday. “The launch of wide-body transatlantic service this weekend ushers in a new era in the history of WestJet,” said WestJet president Gregg Saretsky. “From humble beginnings as a regional airline serving five destinations in Western Canada, we have grown to become a truly international carrier in just two decades, now taking...
Air Canada, Avianca Brasil Team Up
Star Alliance partners Air Canada and Avianca Brasil have implemented the first stage of a codeshare agreement. Initially, Air Canada will sell, in all of its channels, tickets for flights operated by Avianca Brasil under the AC code, significantly expanding its distribution in the local Brazilian market. The agreement includes flights to and from Brasília, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro (Antonio Carlos Jobim-Galeao airport), Salvador and São Paulo (Guarulhos airport). Air Canada customers will enjoy the benefit of boarding through direct...
WestJet Celebrates Travel Agents
WestJet is celebrating Travel Agent Day as part of its annual TA Appreciation month-long celebration, a campaign created by the airline to recognize and thank its valued agent partners for their support. “We again thank our travel agent partners for their incredible help and support of WestJet over the past 20 years. You have been pivotal in the success of our airline,” said Bob Cummings, WestJet executive vice-president, Commercial. “We pride ourselves on our great working relationships with our TAs and we continue to invest in the travel trade industry to ensure we are always...
National Updates Summer Schedule
Orlando-based National Airlines has announced changes to its planned summer flight schedule, including the postponement of expansion at Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) in New York and transitioning to seasonal service at Windsor International Airport (YQG) in Ontario. Windsor service will transition to seasonal status beginning May 22 as the company analyzes market demand and fleet priorities. National is delaying the June 1 launch of service from Long Island to Puerto Rico due to lack of available aircraft for expansion service. The change affects planned flights from Long Island...
Air Canada Posts Q1 Results
Air Canada has reported first quarter 2016 record EBITDAR (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and aircraft rent) of $460 million compared to EBITDAR of $442 million in the same quarter in 2015. For the 12 months ended March 31, 2016, Air Canada's EBITDAR margin was 18.3%. Air Canada recorded adjusted net income of $85 million or $0.30 per diluted share compared to adjusted net income of $122 million or $0.41 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2015. On a GAAP basis, in the first quarter of 2016, Air Canada reported operating income of $154 million...