Airlines
Air France Showcases ‘Best & Beyond’
At a special industry event held at Pearson International yesterday, Air France gave travel agents, media and other travel professionals a close-up look at its new Business Class cabin aboard a Boeing 777-200. Launched last year as part of Air France's “Best & Beyond” project, the new Business cabin is making a gradual entry into service on long-haul aircraft -- and now available to travellers flying out of Toronto to Paris Charles de Gaulle until Oct. 24. The goal of the Best & Beyond project is to upgrade its long-haul products and services and to provide the best...
Transat Expands Europe Program
With more flights, more seats and new connecting flights, as well as two new destinations – Croatia in Eastern Europe and Pisa in Italy – Transat is expanding its European portfolio for 2016. Air Transat will offer direct flights to a total of 29 destinations, including newly launched routes between Toronto and Nice, Montreal and Glasgow and Vancouver and Rome. Every Sunday beginning June 13, 2016 a direct flight for Pisa will take off from Toronto and Montreal while Zagreb in Croatia will be offered on Tuesdays as of June 15, 2016 direct from Toronto and via a connecting flight...
German Court Tells LH Pilots To End Strike
A German labour court has issued a temporary injunction ordering Lufthansa pilots to end their strike actions, according to multiple reports in the German media,. In making its ruling, the court described the strike action as “unlawful” because they were targeted at Lufthansa's plans to expand its budget airline subsidiaries, rather than dealing with wage issues, the media reports stated. Prior to the injunction being issued, strike action by the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots' union resulted in 1,000 flight cancellations which affected some 140,000 passengers. Lufthansa also...
WestJet Off To Houston
WestJet has launched new six times a week non-stop service between Calgary and Houston. Flights depart Calgary at 10:25 a.m. and arrive in Houston at 3:22 p.m. Return flights depart Houston at 5 p.m., arriving in Calgary at 8:08...
Strike Disrupts Lufthansa Service
Lufthansa has cancelled almost half of its long-haul flights today due to a planned pilots' strike. Reports say the airline is also expecting cancellations to its short-haul flights tomorrow (Sept. 9) due to the job action. Lufthansa says it will still operate 90 out of 170 planned long-haul flights and has published a special flight schedule to keep passengers up to date with cancellations. The pilots' union – Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) – is in a long-running dispute over pay, retirement benefits and cost cuts. Talks between VC and management broke down last week. Lufthansa...
Tourism “Irrepressible” Says ACI
The latest world airport traffic report is likely to provide yet more grist for the `rein-in-the-Gulf-carriers’ campaign being orchestrated by America’s Big Three carriers, reports Montreal editor, Mike Dunbar in this week's digital edition of Canadian Travel Press. The 2014 figures, from Airports Council International (ACI), show that Dubai has leapfrogged over London Heathrow to become the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic. According to the Montreal-based organization, DXB counted 69.9 million arriving, departing and direct transit passengers last...
Transat To Charge $25 for First Checked Bag for US Travel
Agents with clients flying to the US with Transat should advise them that as of Nov. 1 they will have to shell out a little more. Starting Sept. 8, travellers purchasing Air Transat’s Economy Class fare for travel to the United States as of Nov. 1 will be charged $25 for a first checked bag. The maximum weight of the baggage will increase from 20 kg to 23 kg. Transat’s no-fee policy for checked bags for all other destinations in the South and Europe remains unchanged. Travellers who book a cruise departing from the US will continue to be able to take advantage of the 25 kg...
AC Reaches New Heights With Culinary Partnership
Air Canada announced a new culinary partnership with celebrated Vancouver-based chef David Hawksworth yesterday (Sept. 3) at an industry soiree in Toronto. Commencing in October, international business class customers on flights departing from Canada and those visiting Maple Leaf Lounges will be served signature dishes designed by Hawksworth such as Yellowfin tuna tataki and Tamari roasted sablefish. “My team and I are relishing the unique challenge of developing dishes that can be enjoyed at 35,000 feet,” says Hawksworth. “It's an honour and a pleasure to be invited by Air...