CANADIANS NOT SHUFFLING OFF TO BUFFALO: US travel downturn forecast to continue
- For a few hopeful weeks this summer, a bright billboard on the major highway linking Toronto to New York greeted Canadian drivers with a simple message: "Buffalo Loves Canada.” The marketing campaign, which included a $500 gift card giveaway, was meant to show Buffalo's northern neighbours they were welcome, wanted and missed.
PAT DINEEN: Remembering a rare elite everyman
- By Michael Baginski/ I first met Canadian travel industry legend Pat Dineen on a press trip to Greece in the early 1990s. We got to know each other sipping ouzo in a harbour café in a postcard-perfect Greek fishing village, moon overhead, the strains of bouzouki in the air, and Pat was talking about… sumo.
HERE COMES THE SUN: ACV launches new digital brochure
- With its annual cross-country “Dream Makers” tour hitting the road this week – starting in Halifax on Wednesday – Air Canada Vacations has released its 2025/26 Digital Sun Brochure for a fourth consecutive year, featuring more hotels, more destinations, and more cruise options than ever before.
- JODINE CLEMENT TAKES NEW ROLE AT TTC TOUR BRANDS
- Citing a continued investment in Canada and commitment to the travel advisor community, TTC Tour Brands has promoted Jodine Clement to Director of Sales, Canada. In her new role, Clement will oversee national sales strategies, strengthen partnerships with travel advisors and continue building on the company’s growth in the Canadian market. 
SPIRIT FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY AGAIN BUT VOWS TO KEEP FLYING
- Budget carrier Spirit Airlines said Friday that it has filed for fresh bankruptcy protection months after emerging from a Chapter 11 reorganization. The ultra low-cost airline said it plans to keep flying as usual during the restructuring process, meaning passengers can still book trips and use their tickets, credits and loyalty points. Employees and contractors will also continue to get paid, the company said.
ROUND-UP: Aug. 25-29, 2025
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US FLIGHT ATTENDANTS FED UP TOO: But why they are unlikely, or unable, to strike
- At the end of work trips, Nathan Miller goes home to a makeshift bedroom in his parents’ house in Virginia. The 29-year-old flight attendant is part of a PSA Airlines crew based in Philadelphia, but he can’t afford to live there. Miller says he makes about US$24,000 a year staffing multiple flights a day as a full-time attendant for the American Airlines subsidiary.
WESTJET, COPA AIRLINE SIGN INTERLINE AGREEMENT
- WestJet and Copa Airlines have announced an interline agreement that will significantly enhance connectivity across both carriers' networks. The agreement allows WestJet guests to seamlessly travel beyond its newly announced destination, Panama City, with access to 37 Copa Airlines destinations across Central and South America. Additionally, Copa guests travelling north will gain access to WestJet's extensive North American network.
DUST IN THE WIND: Phoenix walloped by massive storm
- A powerful dust storm roared through the Phoenix area earlier this week with a wall of dust towering hundreds metre high dwarfing the city’s neighbourhoods. Called a haboob, the wind-driven phenomenon blackened skies and knocked out electricity for 15,000 customers late Monday afternoon.
IT’S A DOG’S LIFE: Helsinki unveils sightseeing tour for man’s best friend
- With more than 1,000 dogs in attendance, Finland's capital, Helsinki, launched what is believed to be the world's first sightseeing route designed especially for man’s best friend earlier this month. The "Doggy Route to Happiness" featured a canine-sized stick-built tribute to the world-famous Sibelius Monument, "a pup-up" dog café, a dedicated dog island, and even special advertising aimed at four-legged viewers.
TURNING UP THE TASTES ON A TALL SHIP
- Talk about a Big Fish Fry! The grill tonight features a grouper so massive it’s almost larger than any of the cooks who are grilling it. But it will somehow vanish like magic into scrumptious filets over the course of a sunset dinner on the Sea Cloud Spirit. It’s just one taste of why dining on the world’s largest fully rigged sailing cruise ship, which carries only 136 pampered guests, is among the most varied and inventive at sea.
LISTENING IN: Richards and Jones know a thing or two
- By Michael Baginski/ Mick Jagger has certainly had his fair share of amazing duet partners, including the likes of Tina Turner, David Bowie and Lady Gaga. Not to be outdone, the second most famous Rolling Stone paired up with the incomparable jazz-pop singer Norah Jones to register his own claim on the well-known ballad “Love Hurts.”