Airlines
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...
SkyGreece Makes Its Proposal
SkyGreece Airlines has filed for bankruptcy. The move, authorized and approved by its board of directors, sees the carrier filing a Notice of Intention to Make a Proposal (Notice of Intention) pursuant to the provisions of Part III of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA) (Canada). In that notice, it has named Ernst & Young Inc. (EY) as the trustee in the company's proposal proceedings and in that capacity will monitor and assist the company in its restructuring efforts. Announcing the move, the company said that it was determined by its board of directors that as a result of...
WestJet Steps Up To The Plate
Partnering with the red hot Toronto Blue Jays, WestJet has stepped up to the plate and launched a special home run contest running for the rest of the regular season home games at Rogers Centre. If a Blue Jays player hits a home run into the WestJet Flight Deck at Rogers Centre, one lucky fan will win 25,000 WestJet dollars. Fans can enter the contest by visiting bluejays.com/westjetcontest and filling out the online entry form. WestJet will award a maximum of three prizes of 25,000 WestJet dollars during the contest period. If no Blue Jays player hits a home run into the WestJet...
It’s About Time!
The Canadian Transportation has now ordered SkyGreece airlines to prove that it is applying its tariff and respecting passengers' rights. And while the many complaints that have been filed with the CTA in the wake of the carrier's suspension of operations and which are being handled through established dispute resolution processes, the agency said yesterday that, "Given the urgency of the situation, however, the Agency is taking additional steps to ensure that the carrier meets its legal obligations to the travelling public.” In a decision rendered yesterday, the CTA indicated that...
Air Canada Making The Shift
Air Canada is planning to shift its business emphasis away from North America and more towards international destinations, particularly points in the Pacific, according to Ben Smith, president of passenger airlines. He told an aviation forecast summit in Las Vegas this week that the company’s network composition will comprise 62% international flying and 38% North America by 2018. That compares with 54% international and 46% North America in 2011, when the Pacific represented only 17% of all flying. With destinations such as Singapore and Bangkok set to be added, the...