Airlines
Lufthansa Simplifies Online Booking
Lufthansa is making it easier to book tickets as well as offering a range of other services on its web site, http://www.lufthansa.com . The individual booking steps have been fundamentally changed with the layout being redesigned and the menu prompts simplified. Agents and customers can add flights and other optional flight-related services to their virtual shopping cart. This includes seat reservations, travel insurance packages and Deutsche Bahn rail and fly tickets for international flights. The shopping basket provides online customers with an overview of all the selected...
Canadian North Spreads Its Wings
Canadian North has unveiled a multi-tiered growth plan that reaffirms its commitment as the leading airline in the North. The airline has announced the following enhancements: !!! Introduction of a seasonal, non-stop service between Iqaluit and Halifax with same-plane service to St. John’s, Nfld., effective June 20. !!! Reintroduction of a new cargo aircraft from Ottawa to Iqaluit, effective March 19. !!! Reinstatement of a free luggage allowance of two bags a 33 kg each for all jet passengers, effective immediately. “Offering additional flights to Iqaluit brings...
Dollars & Cents
In this week's issue of Canadian Travel Press, Air Canada president and CEO, Calin Rovinescu talks about the decline of the Canadian dollar and how it will provide both challenges and opportunities for Air Canada over the course of the next year. On the challenge front, the carrier will need to mitigate the effect of a 90-cent loonie on its fuel, lease and maintenance costs, all of which are set in US dollars. But what Air Canada loses on the US dollar cost swings it will gain on the network revenue roundabouts, since more inbound travel is predicted as Canada becomes more affordable...
WestJet Gets A BBB- Corporate Credit Rating
WestJet reports that it has been assigned a BBB- corporate credit rating (“investment grade”) with a stable outlook by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. “This places us among the very few airlines in the world with an investment grade credit rating,” said Vito Culmone (pictured), WestJet’s executive vice-president of Finance and CFO. “This rating reflects our strong liquidity, conservative capital structure and solid market position. Combined with 35 consecutive quarters of profitability, driven by our culture of ownership and care, this BBB- Stable rating will...
Air France Increases Summer Service
On May 12, Air France will be adding a third daily flight out of Montreal on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays to up its weekly schedule by three extra flights. This means that for the periods of May 12-31 and Sept. 30 to Oct. 12, travellers will be able to avail themselves of 1,400 additional seats a week. Also, Air France’s trademark summer schedule addition of a third daily flight between Montreal-Trudeau and Paris-Charles de Gaulle will begin June 1 and run until Sept. 29. With 21 weekly flights, Montreal is second only to New York City worldwide in terms of most seats offered...
Back In A Big Way
Let the celebration begin because Japan is back and it's back in in a big way. After the devastating tsunami and subsequent nuclear reactor crisis that scared tourists away in 2011, Japan has made a remarkable recovery and last year it welcomed a record 10,364,000 foreign visitors -- that's a staggering 124% increase over 2012, according to City of Tokyo Tourism officials. The Canadian market was part of that visitor resurgence posting an impressive 24% increase, with 152,000 Canadians travelling to Japan. And clearly tourism officials are confident that they'll see further increases...
Happy Birthday!
South African Airways (SAA) is celebrating its 80th year of service. Founded in 1934, the carrier marked its anniversary this month (February). Over its eight decades of operation, SAA has faced many changes over and experienced many highlights and some turbulent times. Through the years, SAA, and its employees have shown extraordinary resilience and capacity for change. Today, SAA is a modern, technologically advanced airline that flies millions of people every year. SAA has been an award winning airline over the years and recently received, for the 12th consecutive year in a row...
Flight Alerts
Sunwing Airlines has added a SMS (text message) alert function to its online flight reservation system. Conveniently located on the homepage of Sunwing.ca, travellers can sign up to receive updates on their flight status via text message. “We know that our customer’s journey to the airport sometimes consists of a long drive or stopover hotel,” said Mark Williams, president, Sunwing Airlines. “We feel that the convenience of flight alerts received right to their mobile device will represent a lot of value to our customers, who can now stay informed throughout their...