The spate of recent aviation disasters and close calls have people worried about the safety of flying. The midair collision that killed 67 near Washington, the fiery plane crash in Philadelphia and a commuter plane crash on Friday in Alaska are only the most high-profile disasters.
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has barred WestJet from telling travellers their reimbursement for meals and accommodations is capped. The ruling states that “passengers would suffer harm” if WestJet continued to communicate the policy to customers or post it on its website, which laid out fixed dollar limits on repayment amounts.
Sunwing Airlines, embarked on its second annual celebratory flight in honour of Black History Month on Tuesday. Departing from Toronto to Montego Bay, the flight was led by a Black flight deck and cabin crew.
Porter Airlines is bringing new air service to Hamilton, Ont., with four routes launching in June. John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM) will be connected coast to coast through daily flights to Calgary (YYC), Edmonton (YEG), Halifax (YHZ) and Vancouver (YVR), starting this June.
WestJet has begun to gear up for a major growth spurt this year, with a focus on in-country travel brought on by a low loonie and pinched pocketbooks. Flight volumes from the country’s second-largest airline will increase by 10 percent this summer compared to last, WestJet says.
The airspace around Washington, D.C., is congested and complex – a combination aviation experts have long worried could lead to catastrophe. Those fears materialized last Wednesday night when an American Airlines plane collided with a military helicopter in a crash that has been called “stunningly preventable.”
An aircraft developed by Boom Supersonic has become the first independently funded jet to break the sound barrier. The XB-1 aircraft accelerated to Mach 1.05 at about 35,000 feet during a test flight on Jan. 29 in the same Mojave Desert airspace in California where Charles “Chuck” Yeager was the first person to break the sound barrier in 1947.
The deadly mid-air crash in Washington, DC, Wednesday night is likely the result of unique air traffic patterns in the area and shouldn’t cause wider fears over air safety, says a Canadian aviation expert.
After half a century in limbo, the federal government says it will scrap plans to build an airport on thousands of acres in Pickering, Ont., and instead look to transfer the land to Parks Canada.
No-frills, budget airlines often lead the industry in customer complaints, according to government data, so if one were to disappear would it be missed by travellers? That is a question US regulators will be asking after Frontier Airlines said Wednesday that it wanted to buy Spirit Airlines, which sought bankruptcy protection late last year.
Expedia’s new 2025 Air Hacks Report is debunking myths. For example, ‘Summer is an expensive time to travel’. Nah … turns out July, a peak summer travel time, is the cheapest month to travel. Average air ticket prices are up to 11 percent cheaper in July than March when booking a trip from a Canadian origin airport.
Porter Airlines is expanding its footprint in New York with the launch of new year-round service, which starting May 01, will see up to three daily roundtrip flights operating between Toronto Pearson International Airport and LaGuardia.
Through a first-of-its-kind partnership for the intercity rail system facilitated by VISIT FLORIDA, guests booking on Porter Airlines can now receive 50 percent off adult SMART fares on select Brightline trains between South Florida and Orlando – an arrangement that notably connects the former’s cruise gateways (Miami, Fort Lauderdale) with the theme parks of Central Florida (Disney, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld).
As CEO of Joby Aviation, JoeBen Bevirt is getting closer to turning his boyhood flights of fancy into a dream come true as he and latter-day versions of the Wright Brothers launch a new class of electric-powered aircraft vying to become taxis in the sky – vehicles that whisk passengers to a destination in a matter of minutes, and create a new class of airport transfers upon arrival.
Boeing’s aircraft deliveries and orders in 2024 reflect the company’s rough year. Boeing delivered less than half the number of commercial aircraft to customers than its European rival in 2024 as the American aerospace giant’s output suffered under intensified government scrutiny and a factory workers’ strike, according to data released last week.
Germany’s Lufthansa Group finalized its acquisition of Italian airline ITA Airways on Friday, closing a long period of uncertainty for Italy’s former flagship carrier. Under the 325-million-euro ($483 million) deal, Lufthansa takes an initial 41% stake in ITA, formerly Alitalia, from the Italian government, gaining full control by 2033.
Pakistan’s national airline said Thursday that an advertisement showing a plane heading toward the Eiffel Tower was never intended to evoke the memories of the Sept. 11 attacks. The illustration, not in video format, shows a plane superimposed over the French flag and tilted toward the Paris landmark, with the words “Paris, we’re coming today.”
After only two years serving Canada from its base in Hamilton, Ont., PLAY Airlines is pulling out of the market. The Icelandic low-cost carrier’s schedule shows that starting in late April it will stop its four flights per week from YHM to its home base in Reykjavik, Iceland, which it uses as a hub for trips to Europe.
Ryanair is calling on European authorities to limit the sale of alcoholic beverages at airports across the continent, as the Irish airline continues legal action against a passenger who it says caused a costly flight diversion last year.
Beginning May 14, WestJet will operate five weekly flights between Calgary and Mexico City – a route last served in 2018. With the addition of Mexico City, The WestJet Group, including Sunwing Airlines, will serve 13 cities in Mexico from 24 Canadian cities in 2025 with more than 200 flights per week during peak travel periods.
Toronto Pearson set a milestone achievement in 2024, welcoming eight new airlines. That’s more, the airport says, than any other large airport in North America, and brings the facility’s roster of airline tenants to 54, serving 180 destinations worldwide.
Air Canada will operate from John F. Kennedy International Airport’s new world-class Terminal 6 (T6) when it opens to passengers in New York in 2026, joining fellow Star Alliance partners Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and ANA as future T6 airlines.
Stephen Goulding has joined Virgin Atlantic as Country Manager for Canada. The Canadian airline industry veteran, who has held leaderships roles with WestJet, began the role this week, and takes the position ahead of Virgin’s launch of service from Toronto to London on March 30.
Air Transat pilots have filed notice to beginning bargaining with the company over a new contract with the warning, “We want management to know we are ready to fight for a contract that addresses the concerns of our pilots and brings stability to our airline.”
The chief executive of start-up Riyadh Air, which will take flight this summer, says that boarding passes – both paper and digital – will likely disappear withing five years, to be replaced by biometric scans for passengers.
Aeromexico had the world’s best record – 87% – for on-time arrivals in 2024, according to an annual ranking released late last week. Delta Air Lines scored the highest among North American carriers, while WestJet and Air Canada finished at the bottom of that regional pack with on-time ratings below 72%.
The Piney-Pinecreek Border Airport had a unique claim to fame – its runway straddled the border of the US and Canada. But after seven decades of operation, the small airport that sits near Roseau, Minnesota, and Piney, Manitoba, closed for good on Dec. 27.
Hong Kong Airlines will resume direct flights to Vancouver starting Jan. 18. The twice-weekly services will provide additional travel options for passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Vancouver, and those connecting via Hong Kong.
The federal government is proposing new rules surrounding airlines’ obligations to travellers whose flights are disrupted, even when delays or cancellations are caused by an “exceptional circumstance” outside of carriers’ control.
Air Canada’s 2024 season of Dreams Take Flight wrapped up before Christmas with the last flight of the year departing from Calgary, whisking deserving children away for a special day at a theme park in California. Over the last 12 months, more than 900 children from across Canada were took part in the Air Canada Foundation program, which supports the health and well-being of children across the country, in particular creating hope and resiliency for children facing adversity.