Air Canada’s first of 45 updated Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft has entered service at Rouge, marking the latest step in the carrier’s comprehensive cabin renewal program across the fleet. The rest of the aircraft are expected to transition to Rouge by the end of the year.
Most passengers boarding a flight on a cold winter morning don’t give much thought to the trucks and equipment moving around their aircraft. Among them are de-icing teams – carrying out a procedure that is absolutely essential to flight safety in cold weather.
Media magnate Pierre Karl Péladeau has failed to convince a pair of leading proxy advisory firms to back his bid to overhaul the board at Transat A.T. Inc. and seize effective control of the travel company.
Calling it ‘a new era of long-haul’ travel, Air Canada has announced the next phase of its fleet modernization program with the purchase of the Airbus A350-1000 widebody aircraft. The airline will add eight of the aircraft to its fleet and has rights to buy eight more with deliveries scheduled to begin in the second half of 2030.
A new destination in Austin, Texas, plus an updated presence in Chicago at O’Hare International Airport are among the highlights as Porter Airlines adds two airports and three routes to its growing North American network.
Air Canada and Turkish-based Pegasus Airlines have announced a new interline agreement that will enable clients to book travel on nine Pegasus-operated routes to Istanbul and the Aegean coastal city of Izmir via several major European gateways.
Transat took flight on Feb. 18 with a trio of seasonal sun routes from eastern Canada, including non-stop flights from Quebec City, Charlottetown and Fredericton. Destination include Guadeloupe and Cancun.
An arbitrator reviewing wages for flight attendants at Air Canada has finalized rates at the airline, bringing an end to the labour dispute that saw travel disrupted for thousands of people last summer. But the bargaining committee for the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees says it was not the outcome the union fought to achieve.
WestJet Rewards and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members can now earn points with their preferred loyalty program on each other’s entire network including VS-WS codeshare flights. The update to the partnership particularly benefits WestJet guests travelling on Virgin Atlantic’s Toronto-London (LHR) route, which connects Canadians travelling through Pearson airport to Virgin Atlantic’s primary hub at London Heathrow.
Citing growing travel to and from Mexico by Canadians, Air Canada says it is strategically expanding its summer schedule to the destination with 18% more seat capacity than last summer.
Major airlines are claiming the initial findings of a federal probe clear their industry of allegations of unpaid work, but Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu says investigators need more data before the issue is settled.
Air Canada says it’s seeing strong momentum in bookings for this year largely based on the introduction of new markets – both domestic and international – that are mitigating the impact of reduced Canada-U.S. demand.
Air Transat says it’s cancelling its U.S. flights for the 2026 summer season as it looks to better manage its resources. A spokeswoman for the airline says flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando in Florida will start gradually winding down in the spring.
Porter Airlines reports it has achieved a significant operational milestone with registration in the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) program.
Air travel continues to grow, yet is constrained by two key problems, says IATA, which released its 2025 passenger market performance results showing 5.3% growth – 7.1% international, 2.4% domestic – over 2024. Load factors were 83.6%.
Canadians in Cuba are waiting for flights home after the suspension of service by all three major Canadian airlines as an energy crisis worsens in the nation amid a U.S. oil blockade. Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat each said on Monday that they were cancelling flights to Cuba, citing a shortage of aviation fuel.
WestJet is expanding its domestic network with new non-stop summer service between Calgary (YYC) and Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. (YAM), North Bay, Ont. (YYB) and Campbell River, B.C. (YBL). The airline is also adding non-stop seasonal service between Terrace, B.C. (YXT) and Edmonton (YEG), strengthening domestic connectivity within Western Canada.
Flair Airlines has named Len Corrado as Chief Executive Officer. Effective Feb. 9, the former president of Sunwing Airlines replaces Maciej Wilk as part of planned transition at the company.
Porter Airlines inaugurated nonstop flights between Montreal-Trudeau International Airport and Nassau, Bahamas on Thursday, marking the airline’s first Caribbean service from Montreal. The winter seasonal service will operate up to three times weekly and complement existing service from Toronto Pearson and Ottawa.
Air Transat has announced plans to start a new loyalty program with Desjardins Group and Visa. The launch, planned for the second half of this year, will offer travellers exclusive benefits and an improved experience, the airline said.
In the wake of a backlash sparked by a viral video, WestJet says it will scrap a new seat configuration that squeezed an extra row on board many of its planes and left passengers with less legroom – and the airline with a budding customer exodus.
Flair Airlines is revamping its ultra-low-cost brand in a bid to attract more business travellers, despite a lack of frills on board – and will court travel advisor networks to do so. Company CEO Maciej Wilk says Flair is attempting a strategic shift away from a pure-play budget airline and toward what he dubbed a “value carrier.”
Air Canada is set to launch a third weekly flight to Grenada next Thursday (Jan. 22). Operating seasonally through April 23, the additional frequency reflects strong demand from this country and Canada’s status as one of Grenada’s fastest-growing source markets.
Air Inuit has a new aircraft that promises to deliver better service to Nunavik says CEO and president Christian Busch. The Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft went into service Tuesday on the airline’s Montreal-Kuujjuaq route.
With new members Fiji Airways, Oman Air and future member Hawaiian Airlines adding options across the Pacific, Asia and Arabian Peninsula, oneworld says its Round the World options are more extensive than ever.
Hawaii’s airports are slated to get a fresh look as part of Hawaiian Airlines’ newly announced investment plan of more than US$600 million over the next five years, designed to comprehensively enhance the experience for guests travelling to, from, and within the islands.
Last November, WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech stepped onto a plane bound for Toronto along with five other executives, the chairman of the board and several union representatives to try out the airline’s new compacted seating at the back of the cabin.
An excuse to have another beer or glass of wine when flying? A new study emanating from south of the border warns travellers not to drink tea, coffee, or unbottled water on flights, load up on ice, or even clean their hands in washrooms, due to potentially unhealthy water used on board many aircraft.
Air Transat pilots have overwhelmingly ratified a new five-year employment contract, according to the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA). Of the 98% of 750 eligible pilots who cast ballots, 91% voted in favour of the deal, negotiated in December, which offered a wage hike of more than 50% on average over five years.
Aeromexico maintained a 90.02% on-time performance to claim the world’s most on-time global airline title for the second consecutive year, according to Cirium’s 2025 On-Time Performance Review, released on Jan. 2.