Airlines
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...
NewLeaf Puts Brakes On Some Flights
New low-fare carrier NewLeaf is making some changes to its flight schedule, including putting a temporary stop on some of its flights as it reviews what routes are working and which are not. According to reports, the airline is grounding planned flights from Winnipeg to Victoria, BC for November. It will also stop offering flights to Regina, Saskatoon, Victoria or Kamloops from Nov. 1 until the middle of the month. Officials say these are temporary changes, with flights expected to increase come...
IATA Condemns Costly Strike Actions
IATA is condemning the effects of air traffic controller strikes, which the association said have caused one million minutes of delays across Europe this year, and it called for governments to take steps to ensure service continuity in the face of industrial action. Rafael Schvartzman, European regional vice-president for IATA, said that: “The current frequency of disputes is totally unacceptable. European air travellers have suffered an incredible 1 million minutes of delay and over 3,000 cancelled flights as a result of strikes this year.” He pointed out that: “Every hour...
Swiss Enhances Meal Options
SWISS is expanding its SWISS Choice product for its inflight guests. Travellers in Economy Class on long-haul flights from Switzerland can now pre-order an à la carte lunch or dinner. The new choices extend to six different meals, each of which has been specially selected to meet established customer wishes and tastes. The new à la carte options comprise Zürcher Kalbsgeschnetzeltes (traditional Zurich-style sliced veal in a creamy sauce), a “Swiss Brunch,” a platter of Swiss cold cuts and cheeses, a light dining option, a gourmet selection and a Japanese meal. The prices for these...