Airlines
New Look For Caribbean Airlines
Trinidad-based Caribbean Airlines, which includes Toronto in its network, is getting ready to spruce up much of its fleet. Valerie Murphy-Rahman, the carrier's senior manager, reservations and commercial sales, told a Toronto gathering Tuesday that the airlines' B737-800s will be refurbished next year, with the work including redoing the seating and installing a “more upgraded entertainment system” that will have personal screens. The B737-800s are used on the Toronto-Port of Spain route, with Caribbean Airlines now having some 20 Toronto-Port of Spain flights a week. It also...
Good Plan, Bad Approach
So why would an airline industry group be reacting to a recently passed US Congressional Highway Bill? Well the answer is that it seems that the new highway legislation has a provision in it that diverts funds that airline passengers pay the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for security in order to replenish the highway trust fund. And it's been approved by the U.S. Congress. So it should come as no surprise that Airlines For America (A4A, for short) has soundly denounced the plan. A4A president and CEO, Nicholas E. Calio said...
Enhancing Security
Jeh Johnson, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the US, said that the US will be implementing a number of new security measures following the crash of Metrojet flight 9268 on the Sinai Peninsula on Oct. 31. In a statement, Johnson said: “Out of an abundance of caution, [we] have identified a series of interim, precautionary enhancements to aviation security with respect to commercial flights bound for the United States from certain foreign airports in the region.” Noting that although there are no direct commercial air flights from Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt to...
Agents Of Change
In this week's digital edition of Canadian Travel Press, Vision Travel's COO, Brian Robertson talks to executive editor, Bob Mowat about where the leading travel management company is headed, telling him: “Our direction is corporate. Our direction is high-end leisure. Our direction is meetings & incentives and playing in the loyalty space. That's where we're going and we're not restricting our business to bricks and mortar in Canada, we're looking to expand into the United States and become more North American.” Montreal editor, Mike Dunbar – just back from IATA's World...
Transat Seat Sale
Travellers booking an Air Transat flight by Nov. 16 have the opportunity to take advantage of a seat sale on air-only departures to one of the carrier's 65 destinations offered via direct flight. The offer applies to its 36 sun destinations and 29 European destinations for travel from December to June. In the South, Air Transat offers destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Florida, and Central and South America, as well as the island of Curaçao, recently added to its sun destination portfolio. In Europe, the recent additions of Pisa, Italy and Zagreb, Croatia for summer 2016...
AC Extends US Toronto Stopover Offer
Air Canada has extended an offer giving customers travelling between the US and Europe or Asia via Toronto Pearson International an opportunity to pause their journey in the city for up to one week with no stopover fee until March 31, 2016. The special offer, developed with the support of Tourism Toronto, is designed to encourage US originating international customers to take advantage of their connection to experience “Canada’s largest and most vibrant city.” “As Air Canada’s global hub, Toronto Pearson is quickly growing in popularity as the most efficient connecting...
AC rouge Welcomes First A321
It was a family affair at Pearson International's Hangar Bay 8 yesterday (Nov. 4) as AC employees and their families celebrated the arrival of Air Canada rouge's first A321 – fresh in from an overnight flight from the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany. The plane, which will enter service on Nov. 26 on a route to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, features 200 seats, including 16 Premium Rouge and 21 Rouge Plus. Air Canada Leisure Group president and CEO Michael Friisdahl (pictured) welcomed guests calling it “a truly special day for rouge” with the delivery of its first A321,...
Air Canada Inaugurates Dreamliner Service to Dubai
With the departure of AC056, Air Canada inaugurated new service between Toronto and Dubai last night (Nov. 3), the newest addition to its growing international network. The three-times-weekly route is operated using AC's most modern aircraft, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner featuring its new cabin interior design in a three cabin configuration. Pictured at an inaugural celebration at Pearson are Air Canada's Tracey Bellamy and Francois Choquette, with crew...