Airlines
SriLankan Airlines Set To Join Oneworld
SriLankan Airlines will become a full member of oneworld on May 1 – as the first carrier from the Indian subcontinent to become part of any global airline alliance. The national airline of Sri Lanka received clearance to board oneworld after successfully completing a review of its readiness conducted by Cathay Pacific Airways, which is sponsoring its entry into the alliance, with the oneworld central team. Its addition to oneworld will come a month after the alliance welcomes TAM and US Airways on board, on March 31, concluding the group’s biggest yet expansion program. From...
WestJet Adds Toronto-Phoenix Service
WestJet will launch new daily, non-stop service between Toronto and Phoenix beginning Oct. 26. Same-day connections are also available to and from Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, and Moncton, New Brunswick. “We are always looking for new and better ways to provide Canadians with in-demand destination choices,” said Chris Avery, WestJet’s vice-president, Network Planning, Alliances and Corporate Development. “After this winter of record storms and low temperatures, more Canadians than ever are looking for non-stop routes to sunny US destinations like Phoenix to meet the demand for...
Major Tourism Groups Support Porter Proposal
Tourism industry leaders support Porter’s proposal to add service to more destinations from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, saying it will benefit the tourism and hospitality sector in Toronto and throughout Ontario. The Ontario Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Association, the Greater Toronto Hotel Association, the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre have made official submissions to Toronto City Council to express their support for Porter’s plans to add jet service from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. “I have no doubt that if...
Strong Start For 2014: IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports global passenger traffic results for January showing a strong increase in demand. Total revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) rose 8% compared to January 2013, an improvement over the December 2013 growth of 6.8% and the full year 2013 growth of 5.2%. January capacity increased 6.7%, pushing load factor up 0.9 percentage points to 78.1%. “2014 is off to a strong start, with travel demand accelerating over the healthy results achieved in 2013, in line with stronger growth in advanced economies and emerging market regions,”...
Lufthansa Unveils Premium Economy Class
Lufthansa unveiled its new Premium Economy Class to industry experts yesterday at ITB 2014 in Berlin. The new travel class can be booked from May onwards and will be available as of November, initially on Boeing 747-8 aircraft. The new seats will gradually be fitted on the entire long-haul fleet within the next year. “Our Premium Economy Class will create a completely new travel experience that combines affordability with greater comfort. The seats offer up to 50% more room than Economy Class and will position us in a premium segment within the international competitive...
Fuel Efficient
Sunwing’s first aircraft with the fuel efficiency Split Scimitar Winglets designed by Aviation Partners Boeing is officially in service. This technology improves performance of the aircraft and decreases fuel burn by approximately 7% over the same aircraft with no Winglets. According to officials, Sunwing is the first airline in Canada and the second in the world to commercially fly the second generation Split Scimitar Blended Winglets and will retrofit its entire fleet of Boeing 737-800 with this new technology by the end of May. “We feel we have a responsibility as a market...
CanJet To Launch Tour Operating Division
It’s being reported that CanJet has plans to launch its own tour operating division. According to reports, CanJet Airlines president Stephen Rowe has stated he has “tentative executive approval” to launch a tour operating division, probably under the name CanJet Vacations or CanJet Holidays in Canada starting next winter. CanJet is a subsidiary of Halifax-based IMP Group and currently offers charter flights primarily on behalf of Transat...
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...