Airlines
WestJet offers additional 2% on base commissions
In appreciation for continuing support by travel agents, WestJet is offering an additional 2% on base commissions for new bookings beginning Jan. 26 through to Feb. 28, in anticipation of the termination of its participation in the Sabre GDS. WestJet regrets the inconvenience caused to agencies by the lack of progress in contract negotiations, now halted indefinitely, and is providing additional information on a special site for agents. The westjet.com/distribution page is designed to assist affected agencies with contingency planning, and is the best source for information on how to...
Air Canada reports record load factors for 2013
For the month of December, Air Canada reported a record system load factor of 82.7%, versus 82.1% in December 2012, an increase of 0.6 percentage points. System traffic increased 4.8% on a system-wide capacity increase of 4%. For the full year 2013, load factor was a record 82.8%, versus 82.7%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points. Air Canada reports traffic results on a system-wide basis, including Air Canada rouge, which began operations on July 1 and regional airlines from which Air Canada purchases capacity. “For both the month of December and full year 2013, Air Canada...
Icelandair celebrates new YEG service
Icelandair will be taking off from Edmonton this spring with year-round service to more than 20 destinations in Europe. To celebrate the launch from YEG on March 5, Icelandair will host a YEG Hunt. Starting Jan. 21, Icelandair representatives will be hitting the streets of Edmonton and surrounding areas to give away tickets. One set of round-trip tickets for two will be given away each day through Jan. 23. Also, throughout each day, Icelandair will be handing out additional prizes including gift certificates for travel on Icelandair, T-shirts and other Icelandair merchandise to...
Airline financial outlook strengthens: IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently announced an upward revision to its industry financial outlook. For 2013 airlines are expected to return a global net profit of $12.9 billion. This is expected to improve to a net profit of $19.7 billion in 2014. Both are improvements on the September forecast which anticipated an industry net profit of $11.7 billion in 2013 increasing to $16.4 billion in 2014. The upward revision reflects lower jet fuel prices over the forecast period as well as improvements to the industry’s structure and efficiency already visible in...
WestJet makes early return to Myrtle Beach
WestJet will resume its non-stop seasonal service between Toronto and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on March 6, nearly two months earlier than in 2013. The twice-weekly service will operate on Thursdays and Sundays from March 6 to Oct. 23 with a change in flight times effective April 27. WestJet Vacations offers an array of resorts in Myrtle Beach from traditional hotels to suites and condominiums. Flexible durations include three, four, seven, 10 and 14 nights....
Stormy weather causes delays: AC
Air Canada is advising travellers that winter storm conditions in eastern Canada and the US northeast are impacting its operations, resulting in cancelled and delayed flights to and from Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and US northeast airports. AC says that customers should check on-line at http://www.aircanada.com for travel advisories and also to confirm that their flight is operating before going to the airport. Customers travelling are advised to take the following steps: Before their flight, they should check AC's travel advisories. Within 24 hours of their flight, they can save time...
WestJet boasts strong fourth quarter
WestJet has announced December traffic results with a load factor of 81.7%. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs), or traffic, increased 7.2% year over year, and capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 7.4% over the same period. The airline flew 18.5 million guests in the full-year 2013, a year-over-year increase of 6.1% or approximately 1.1 million additional guests. “We are very pleased to finish the year with our second-highest fourth quarter and full-year load factors, as well as setting a new single-day record as we flew 60,566 guests on Dec. 20,” said WestJet...
Malaysia Airlines adds YVR to network
Malaysia Airlines and Japan Airlines have established a new codeshare agreement giving Malaysia access to and from Vancouver via Tokyo. The new codeshare will see Japan Airlines services from Narita to Vancouver and vice versa carrying the Malaysia Airlines flight code. MH9770 will depart Narita at 6:05p.m. daily and arrive at Vancouver at 10 a.m. local time the same day. Meanwhile, MH9769 will depart Vancouver at 1 p.m. daily, arriving at Narita at 4:30 p.m. the next day. The Japan Airlines code for this service is JL018 and JL017 respectively. Guests from Malaysia can connect to...