Airlines
Air France Marks 40 Years of Toronto-Paris Service
Forty years and counting. It was on May 20, 1976 that Air France launched service between Toronto and Paris, using a Boeing Jumbo 747 with a capacity of 360 passengers. Service then was three times weekly. Forty years later, on May 20, 2016, a 309-seat Boeing 777 landed in Toronto. And, passengers leaving on AF 351 to Paris will be greeted with cupcakes and special surprises – passengers 40 years of age or holding the boarding passes number 40, 140 and 240 will be invited to the new Air France KLM lounge prior their flight and receive a gift. On board, passengers will celebrate with...
SkyLink Unveils Enhanced Version of TripPro
Hosting more than 250 travel agents in Toronto last night – the fourth of a five-city cross-Canada tour – SkyLink unveiled an enhanced version TripPro, the latest technology that gives agents the ability to shop, book and ticket the lowest international airfares. TripPro technology is customer friendly, offers the lowest guaranteed prices and has a variety of versions including IBE, Sabre Red App, Amadeus Desktop, as well as an API version. According to SkyLink president Yuvraj Datta, TripPro provides users with global content, saves time, increases profits and offers the lowest...
Porter Partners With Kleinfeld Hudson’s Bay
Porter Escapes and Kleinfeld Hudson’s Bay have launched a new partnership designed to make Toronto the “must-shop destination” for brides-to-be. All brides that book both a Kleinfeld Hudson’s Bay consultation and a Toronto Porter Escapes travel package will receive exclusive upgrades and promotions, including an extended two-hour initial consultation with a Kleinfeld bridal expert and a $50 discount per person off a Toronto Porter Escapes vacation package. “For many brides, the wedding dress is one of the most significant moments of the bridal experience,” says Jessica...
Cathay Pacific Says Thanks
Cathay Pacific Airways welcomed some 80 travel trade types to its 2016 Top Agent Award Dinner in Toronto last night (May 11) to recognize and thank agents for their support of the carrier. Nick Hays, vice-president, Canada for Cathay Pacific, told Press Today that 26 agencies were being recognized for achieving over $1 million in sales for the airline during the event. As for business out of Canada, Hays said that Cathay Pacific's routes are “healthy” and the airline has had a “good” year from this market. And he observed: “The market is competitive, but that's always...
WestJet Implements Amadeus Ancillary Services
WestJet pre-reserved seats, including Plus seats and fare families, are now available in the Amadeus global distribution channel. WestJet has implemented Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services which enables the airline to empower agents worldwide to better serve their customers’ needs as they book the additional services requested for their flights, all within an efficient and automated booking flow. Amadeus Airline Fare Families has also been implemented for WestJet, making its Econo, Flex and Plus fare options available in the Amadeus System. This will enable the airline to increase...
Pretty In Print
WestJet Vacations has released its new, updated and largest-ever print brochure. With over 324 pages, the 2016-2017 brochure includes more than 450 hotel descriptions, destination overviews, destination maps featuring hotel locations and more. Jane Clementino, director of agency sales for WestJet, commented: “WestJet strives to be easy to do business with and thanks to the valuable feedback from our travel agent partners, we have created a selling tool that does just that.” Clementino said that: “WestJet Vacations print brochure better serves travel agents and their clients by...
WOW Set To Take Off
WOW air, Iceland's ultra low-cost airline, received a warm Canadian welcome recently when one of its bright purple planes touched down on Canadian soil for the very first time. Passengers arriving on the inaugural flight were greeted at the gate by a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Skúli Mogensen, sole owner and CEO of WOW air, observed: “I'm thrilled to be aboard the first WOW air flight to Canada and to start connecting Canadians with Europe at super low fares. The fact that the first plane is touching down in Montreal – a city I lived in for nearly a decade –...
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...