Aviation

For the first time in almost 20 years, travellers may no longer be required to take off their shoes during security screenings at certain U.S. airports. The Transportation Security Administration is looking to abandon the additional security step that has for years bedeviled anyone passing through U.S airports, according to media reports.

WestJet’s 2025/26 winter schedule will feature five new destinations across the Caribbean and Latin America. While departures will increase by three percent year-over-year, capacity will be consistent with last winter, as seats will be removed from former Sunwing/Swoop aircraft, which will be updated to WestJet’s standard configuration before the start of winter.

Australian airline Qantas said Wednesday that a hacker made off with a trove of customers’ personal data including passenger names, emails, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers.

WestJet and Aeromexico have expanded their codeshare partnership, offering guests on both sides of the continent enhanced access to a broader network of destinations in the two countries with the ease of a single booking.

WestJet and Saudia have signed a new interline partnership agreement that will enhance global connectivity to more than 100 destinations across both carriers’ networks and includes single-connection access to Jeddah via Toronto Pearson as well as both Jeddah and Riyadh from London Heathrow and Paris Charles-de-Gaulle.

Porter Airlines phenomenal growth is set to take another giant step with the launch of the carrier’s first sun destination flights, which initially will include Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica this winter. Porter supporters will be able to choose from five destinations and 13 routes originating from Toronto Pearson, Ottawa, and Hamilton, Ont. International Airport.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has accused the European Parliament of meddling in operational and commercial issues that it doesn’t understand, following moves to make cabin luggage allowance obligatory, regardless of whether the passenger needs it or not. 

Canadian airlines were once again flying high as this year’s prestigious World Airlines Awards, conducted by Skytrax. Dubbed “Oscars of the aviation industry,” the awards saw five Canadian carriers rank in the top 100 worldwide, as well as taking home hardware – including top spots – in several other categories.

Air India is facing disruptions – including temporary service cuts to Canada – following the airline’s recent fatal crash. Additional safety inspections on its Dreamliner fleet have also led to flight delays and cancellations.

The recent cyberattack against WestJet remains unresolved, as questions linger about the nature and fallout of the breach. The airline said last week it was working to assess whether sensitive data or customers’ personal information was compromised after hackers accessed its internal systems.

Air Transat will launch a new year-round non-stop route between Toronto and Istanbul starting Dec. 6, operating twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Air Transat and Turkish Airlines have also established an interline partnership aimed at strengthening air service between Canada and Türkiye, while offering travel options to destinations across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Canada should allow up to 100% foreign ownership of domestic-only airlines, the Competition Bureau says in a new report highlighting the country’s “highly concentrated” aviation industry. In a market study released Thursday, the watchdog suggested a new class of airline that operates only in Canada but could have owners from outside its borders, opening the gate to global expertise – and cash.

Each morning, travellers and cargo take off from Montreal’s Trudeau airport for a 1,600-kilometre flight to Puvirnituq in northern Quebec aboard a nearly 50-year-old Air Inuit plane. This seasoned Boeing 737 previously cruised the skies above Europe and Central Africa for now-defunct carriers in France, Gabon and the Congo. But now its trips are all-Canadian, shuttling people, food and building materials between the country’s second-biggest city and a village of 2,100. 

Transat A.T. Inc. hopes to turn Canadians’ aversion to U.S. travel into a boon as it bets on new routes to the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe rather than destinations in the land of Donald Trump. Chief executive Annick Guérard made the case Thursday for a winter schedule that includes fresh flights between Toronto and Guyana, Fredericton and Cancun, Mexico, and Quebec City and Martinique.

WestJet and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) announced a new interline partnership agreement that enhances seamless connectivity across the Atlantic and throughout the Nordic countries. WestJet guests will gain single-ticket access to 29 destinations across Denmark, Sweden and Norway including key cities such as Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Luleå and Malmö.

Donald Trump wants to clear the way for supersonic flights again. To that end, the US president has instructed the FAA to eliminate the 1973 speed restriction that prohibits flights over Mach 1 and replace it with a noise standard.

Air Canada’s newest international flight from Toronto launched service to Prague, Czech Republic, on the weekend, the latest of the carrier’s newly inaugurated European routes, which also included Montreal-Porto, Portugal last week.

Transat AT Inc. says it has restructured its pandemic-era debt in a deal that forgives hundreds of millions of dollars owed. Most of that reduction is due to about $380 million of debt forgiven under the agreement in principle. The Montreal-based company, which owns Air Transat, said it had cut its total debt with a federal Crown corporation by more than half to $334 million from $772 million. 

Being at least a little nervous about flying is understandable. As Mel Brooks once said: “If God wanted us to fly, He would have given us tickets.” But for some people it causes deep anxiety that could require professional help.

Following the completion of the transition of the last Sunwing aircraft fleet into the WestJet fleet last week, the company is advising of several changes affecting Sunwing Vacations passengers going forward.

Airline passengers in Turkey who unbuckle their seat belts, access overhead compartments, or occupy the aisle before their plane has fully stopped now face fines under new regulations issued by the country’s civil aviation authority.

With its final flight taking place yesterday (May 28), the WestJet Group says it has officially completed its integration of Sunwing Airlines – an operation two years in the making after the former acquired the latter in May, 2023. 

Air Transat continues to explore new horizons in South America with the launch of an exclusive new route between Toronto (YYZ) and Medellín (MDE), via Cartagena (CTG). The carrier is also extending service to both Bordeaux, France, and Valencia, Spain, next winter.

ITA Airways has officially received begun integrating into Star Alliance following a verdict by the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB). Building on its induction into the Lufthansa Group earlier this year, this decision paves the way for its entry into the world’s largest airline alliance, which notably includes Air Canada.

A Spanish High Court judge ruled in March that an agreement over salaries between the union CCOO and Ryanair last year was not valid after rival union USO contested it in January. Now Irish airline Ryanair has asked some flight attendants in Spain to pay back thousands of euros in raises they have received since last year as part of the union deal later struck down in court.

Travellers like to get their bags. So declares the International Air Transport Association, which has launched a Global Baggage Roadmap to modernize baggage operations. To be developed with airlines, airports, and industry partners over a mere 10-year timeframe, the roadmap sets a clear path, says IATA, to improve both operational efficiency and traveller satisfaction

Air Transat has announced the addition of three new departure points in Canada for winter 2025-26. Travellers from Windsor (YQG) will have access to weekly flights to Punta Cana (PUJ), while those directly connect clients in Charlottetown (YYG) and Fredericton (YFC) to Cancún (CUN).

Emirates says it is the world’s most profitable airline, having reported last week that it earned annual profits of $5.2 billion. The Dubai-based carrier served 53.7 million passengers out of its hub of Dubai International Airport, compared to 51.9 million passengers in the fiscal year prior.