Airlines
El Al Expansion Largest In Its History
El Al Israel Airlines is making an aggressive move to refresh its long-haul fleet with its largest aircraft acquisition ever. According to CEO David Maimon (pictured), the airline is set to conduct negotiations with Boeing Corporation for the purchase and lease of 15 new wide-body 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft – valued at about US$3.4 billion, as well as an additional purchase option for 13 more. Delivery is expected to commence in mid-2017. In related news, the company presented its second quarter results, showing a profit of US$17.3 million. “I am proud to announce...
WestJet Pilots Reject Bid to Form Union
WestJet pilots have rejected a bid to form a union by a vote of 55%. WestJet president Gregg Saretsky made the following statement regarding the outcome of the unionization vote among its Boeing 737 pilots. “We are pleased that the majority of our pilots who voted have voted against union representation. Our model of co-operation and employee representation through the WestJet Pilots' Association has allowed for the continued success of our pilots and our airline. Despite the positive outcome, there is continued work that needs to take place to better understand some of the issues...
LOT Clients Can Now Pay With Bitcoins
LOT is now accepting Bitcoins as a method of payment at http://www.lot.com. According to officials, transactions are convenient and fully secure. “We are open for every need of every single client. We go for innovations thanks to which their journey is even more comfortable and pleasant not only on board, but also much earlier – at the stage of buying the ticket. Many of them do the shopping online, including plane tickets. It's just the matter of time when payments with the online currency will become as popular as using credit cards today. We notice this potential, which is...
IATA Disappointed
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) criticized the decision by the French government to allow the operator of Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Paris-Orly (ORY) airports to continue increasing airport charges for each year of the 2016-2020 period. The French government’s decision ignores the recommendation of the independent Airport Consultative Commission. The commission concluded that the public interest would be best served by using terminal retail activities of Aéroports de Paris (ADP) to implement annual decreases in charges to airlines over the 2016-2020...
AC Welcomes First Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Air Canada has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-9, a larger version of the Dreamliner 787-8 already in its fleet. The Dreamliner is the world's most modern commercial aircraft and the larger 787-9 version's greater range and capacity will enable Air Canada to further expand its international network. “Air Canada is very excited to take delivery of its first Boeing 787-9. This new aircraft's larger capacity and greater range will accelerate our international expansion strategy and allow us to offer customers more non-stop services to new international destinations. Already,...
Pedestrian Tunnel Opens at Billy Bishop Airport
Passengers travelling via Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport no longer have to take the 90-second ferry across Lake Ontario to get to and from the city. A pedestrian tunnel connecting the airport to mainland Toronto opened yesterday (July 30) with a ribbon cutting ceremony featuring mayor John Tory, transportation minister Lisa Raitt and chairman of PortsToronto Mark McQueen. “Travellers can now enjoy a fast, convenient and reliable way to access the Billy Bishop Airport and no longer have to rely on taking the ferry as the only means of reaching the island airport,” said Tory, at...
Jet Airways Honoured
India's Jet Airways has been presented with the Henry Spira Humane Corporate Progress Award by the Humane Society International in recognition of the airline's policy to enforce a ban on shipments of shark fins as cargo to curb the illegal trade. “As responsible corporate citizens, we recognize the universal concern for the conservation of sharks and have stepped forward to lend our support to this important cause,” says Jet Airways Ceo Cramer Ball. “We hope that collective action against shark fin trade will ensure protection of our fragile marine ecosystem.” “Through...
Transat Sets Sights On Paris
Transat reports that travellers will be able to fly from Toronto to Paris this winter thanks to the addition of new connecting flights to Montreal. Air Transat will also be offering a new Montreal-Toronto route allowing passengers to leave from Montreal and board Toronto flights for London, Manchester or Glasgow as well as a new Calgary-Vancouver route allowing passengers to leave from Calgary and board a Vancouver-London flight. “Based on the success of our connecting program for this summer, we are pleased to provide travellers with access to more of our European destinations...