Airlines
Improved Airport Experience Drives Traveller Spending
The airport industry has undergone a major cultural shift, as traveller experience has become the focal point of its strategy to improve overall satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power 2015 North America Airport Satisfaction Study. Now in its 10th year, the study measures overall traveller satisfaction with large- and medium-sized North American airports by examining six factors (in order of importance): terminal facilities; airport accessibility; security check; baggage claim; check-in/baggage check; and terminal shopping. In this year’s study, overall traveller satisfaction with...
Boys and Girls Club Youth Take Flight With WestJet
WestJet continues to celebrate the spirit of the season with a surprise adventure for Boys and Girls Clubs. As part of an early Christmas gift, WestJet surprised 16 youth leaders from Boys and Girls Clubs (BGC) of Calgary and Orlando, Florida with the adventure of a lifetime. To view the WestJet video, click http://bit.ly/1OaqJUv. The heartwarming video stars eight youth from the BGC of Calgary and eight youth from BGC of Central Florida as they travel across North America by plane, volunteer in two communities, forge lifelong friendships and have fun in a way. The youth were...
National Kicks Off New Windsor-Orlando Service
National Airlines and Windsor, Ont., recently celebrated the inaugural passenger flight from Windsor International Airport to Orlando Sanford International Airport. Scheduled service to Windsor is available Sundays and Thursdays, departing Orlando at 10:30 a.m. EST. Flights return to Orlando from Windsor on the same days, departing Windsor at 2:30 p.m. EST. The airline has also launched non-stop flights from Orlando to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and will begin flights to St. John’s next year. National Airlines’ detailed flight schedule is available at...
Air Transat Brings 207 Syrian Refugees to Canada
Air Transat Flight TS8500 left Amman, Jordan, yesterday bound for Toronto with 207 Syrian refugees aboard. “We are very pleased to be the first Canadian airline company to engage in this major humanitarian effort, and to be assisting the Canadian government and international authorities in this way,” said Jean-François Lemay, general manager of Air Transat. The operation is being led by the International Organization for Migration, in collaboration with Canadian authorities. The flight, operated with an Airbus A330, is expected to arrive in Toronto early evening...
WestJet Encore Pilots Approve Five-Year Agreement
WestJet Encore reports that its pilots have voted in favour of a new agreement with 93% of eligible pilots voting. The tentative agreement was negotiated between WestJet Encore and the WestJet Pilots' Association (WJPA), the association representing its pilots. Voting on the agreement began on Dec. 12 and ended Dec. 20. Nearly 275 WestJet Encore pilots are represented by the WJPA, a subgroup of WestJet's Proactive Communication Team (PACT), the wholly elected employee association representing WestJet's more than 11,000 employees. This is the first ratified agreement between...
Embracing NDC
The retail travel trade need not fear IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) currently being beta-tested by the first batch of member airlines. In fact, they should be wholeheartedly embracing the new XML internet transmission standard since it puts them on an equal sales footing with carrier web sites, reports Montreal editor, Mike Dunbar in this week's digital edition of Canadian Travel Press. And, if the Internet had been around in the 1960s, the airlines would not have developed the computer reservations systems that are still – 40 years or so later – being used as the...
Canada Expands Air Agreements With Australia, China
Canada-Australia have expanded their Air Transport Agreement, effective immediately, allowing airlines to serve any number of cities here and in the land Down Under. Under the expanded agreement, capacity available to Canadian and Australian airlines for services to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth will increase from 3,000 to 6,000 seats per week for each country immediately and then increase to 9,000 seats starting in December 2016. A number of regulatory requirements regarding airline pricing are also removed, which will give airlines much greater flexibility when offering...
Korean Air Going Daily
While it was a celebration to mark the holiday season and thank top producers, last night's gala at Le Parc Dining & Banquet Hall in Thornhill, Ont. hosted by Korean Air and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) was not without some news. Korean Airlines took the opportunity to announce that it will begin daily service from Toronto to Seoul beginning June 1, 2016. The airline will also be offering its new upgraded business class out of Toronto starting in June. The evening also saw officials pay tribute to long-time Korean Air employee Danny Tse (see below), who has retired after...