Aviation

BERMUDAIR KICKS OFF CANADA SERVICE

BermudAir launched service to Canada with its inaugural flight to Toronto Pearson last week (May 17) and will follow this week with Halifax service (May 25). The nation’s flagship airline will provide direct year-round service to YYZ three times a week – Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday – with a flight time of two and a half hours, and weekly YHZ flights on Saturdays.

WESTJET, KOREA TOURISM CELEBRATE INAUGURAL FLIGHT

WestJet Group launched its first flight to Seoul from Calgary Friday, establishing a direct link between Alberta and South Korea. The nearly sold-out WestJet flight 86 marked the first of 140 flights between Calgary and Seoul this summer, with the 787 Dreamliner service operating three times per week through Oct. 27, returning again in Spring 2025.

AIR CANADA ALL IN ON OTTAWA

Air Canada is significantly boosting its schedule serving Ottawa with year-round flights to Calgary and Winnipeg, increased flights to Halifax and Quebec City, and the addition of widebody service to Vancouver. Additional schedule improvements include more flights to Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Orlando, Cancun, and Punta Cana this winter.

MONTREAL AIRPORT SQUABBLE HEADS TO COURT

The authority that runs Montreal’s international airport is going to court to stop an up-and-coming suburban airport from rebranding with the city’s name, arguing it will cause confusion among travellers. But the airport being taken to court is accusing the international airport of trying to protect a “monopoly.”

FIRE AND ICE: WestJet inaugurates Iceland service

WestJet celebrated the takeoff of service between Calgary and Reykjavik (Keflavik) Thursday, adding another option from Western Canada and the airline’s hub to Europe. Flights will operate four times weekly through Oct. 13 on 737 MAX aircraft, departing Calgary at 8:25 a.m.

LIVING THE DREAM: WestJet rides 787s to more overseas routes

WestJet has announced enhancements to its winter 787 schedule, including expanded year-round service between Calgary and Tokyo, as well as increased daily flights between Calgary and Paris Charles-de-Gaulle International (CDG) and London Heathrow International (LHR) Airports. The airline is also enhancing its presence on popular leisure routes with service between Canada, Mexico, and Hawaii.

EMIRATES FLYING HIGH AFTER PANDEMIC

Emirates has announced record profits of US$4.7 billion for 2023 as the airline fully took flight after the turbulent years of the coronavirus pandemic disrupted its operations. The airline carried 51.9 million passengers in its 2023 financial year, as compared to 43.6 million the year prior.

All PART OF THE PLAN: What’s behind Vacances WestJet Quebec?

“Bonjour, Quebec!” WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech declared at a staff celebration of the launch of Vacances WestJet Quebec/WestJet Vacations Quebec (WVQ) yesterday at Sunwing’s airport-area office in Toronto. A concurrent event was taking place in Laval as Sunwing staff there also celebrated the launch of a “new tour operator” in the province.

US AIRLINES DETERMINED TO HIDE THEIR JUNK (FEES)

U.S. airlines are suing to block the Biden administration from requiring greater transparency over fees that the carriers charge their passengers, saying that a new rule would confuse consumers by giving them too much information during the ticket-buying process. The US Transportation Department says it will vigorously defend the rule against what it called “hidden junk fees.”

SNAKES ALIVE – REPTILES HIDDEN IN PASSENGER’S PANTS

What were they thinking? Airport security officers in Miami found a slithering surprise recently – a bag of snakes hidden in a passenger’s pants. According to an X post by the US Transportation Security Administration, officers at Miami International Airport found the reptiles concealed by an unnamed traveller at a checkpoint.

BUMMED ABOUT BAGS: But IATA says things are getting better

We wouldn’t have known it while waiting over an hour for our bags to arrive at LAX on a recent visit – even with the 15-minute head start afforded by having to trek from gate to carousel – but at least they did arrive (and in one piece), which is an occurrence that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says is steadily becoming more common.

TRANSAT UNVEILS WINTER 2024-25 SCHEDULE

Air Transat has released its flight schedule 2024-25 winter season featuring, at peak, 300 non-stop flights per week from seven Canadian cities. In addition to Toronto, Ottawa, and London, it will also offer flights from Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, and Moncton, to more than two dozen destinations covering the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, and Europe. 

NOT JUST ANOTHER DAY IN IQALUIT: Stranded Air France plane kept airport staff hopping

It wasn’t a normal Tuesday for staff at an Iqaluit airport gift shop when 260 passengers were unexpectedly stuck in the airport terminal for nearly 11 hours last week. The passengers made their unplanned arrival at the airport when their Air France flight from Paris, bound for Seattle, Wash., made an emergency landing in Iqaluit after a “heat smell” was detected inside the plane.

COMPETITION BUREAU SETS SIGHTS ON AIRLINE SECTOR

Canada’s Competition Bureau says it will begin a market study looking into the state of competition in the Canadian airline industry and how governments can make improvements. In a market study, the bureau examines barriers to competition, such as regulations or policies, within a specific sector.

WESTJET ENCORE PILOTS REJECT TENATIVE DEAL: Airline says no impact on operations

The union representing WestJet Encore pilots says its members rejected the tentative deal reached last month, with just over half voting the agreement down. The union says despite improvements to compensation and scheduling, the pilots wanted to see more action from WestJet to address ongoing issues with pilot recruitment, retention, and morale. 

SUMMIT PROMISES TO BOOST BARRIER-FREE TRAVEL

Canada’s airlines have agreed to make changes to improve the travel experience for disabled passengers, says the government, following last week’s national summit on air accessibility – a gathering that followed several high-profile incidents that placed the spotlight on problems in the industry.

AIR VANUATU STATUS UP IN THE AIR AFTER BANKRUPTCY

Air Vanuatu filed for bankruptcy protection late last week after the South Pacific state-owned carrier cancelled all international flights, stranding thousands of travellers. But despite the filing, the carrier is looking to resume operations as soon as possible.

PORTER PLANS LARGEST SUMMER SEASON FROM TORONTO

With up to 176 daily flights to 27 destinations from the city’s two airports, Porter Airlines is promising its most substantial summer schedule to date from Toronto. And by August, the carrier says it will be the third-largest carrier flying from Toronto Pearson International Airport, with up to 74 daily flights to 16 destinations across Canada and the United States.

THIN AIR: Qantas to pay $79 million for selling seats on cancelled flights

Qantas Airways agreed to pay AU$ 120 million Australian dollars (CA $104.2 million) in compensation and a fine for selling tickets on thousands of cancelled flights. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission sued the Sydney-based airline in the Federal Court last year. The commission alleged that Qantas engaged in false, misleading or deceptive conduct by advertising tickets for more than 8,000 flights from May 2021 through to July 2022 that had already been cancelled.

BOMB THREAT GROUNDS BA FLIGHT IN BERMUDA

A British Airways transatlantic flight bound for London from Bermuda had to abort take-off due to a bomb threat to the aircraft.  The threat was emailed to LF Wade airport just as the flight with 197 people on board was due to leave Sunday night. Passengers disembarked and were accommodated in Bermuda overnight.

AIR TRANSAT’S EXCLUSIVE WONKA-THEMED FLIGHT TO BRUSSELS

Travellers on Air Transat heading to Brussels from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport on May 5, were treated to a Wonka-themed flight celebrating the arrival of the movie on the airline’s in-flight entertainment system. The whimsical experience was the result of a first-time collaboration between Air Transat, Warner Bros. and Quebec-based Chocolats Favoris.

WESTJET, MECHANICS UNION AGREE TO TENTATIVE DEAL:  

A potential strike between WestJet and its mechanics union appears to have been avoided. A statement from the Calgary-based airline Sunday night says a tentative deal between it and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association has been agreed to. WestJet had issued a 72-hour lockout notice on Saturday to the union, saying it was response to AMFA announcing a strike vote.

WESTJET SCHEDULES COULD BE REDUCED: Issues 72-hour lockout notice to mechanics union

WestJet has issued a 72-hour lockout notice to the union representing its mechanics, and warns a work stoppage could happen as early as Tuesday. The Calgary-based airline says in a statement that the decision follows an announcement of a strike vote by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents approximately 670 aircraft maintenance engineers and skilled trade groups with the carrier.

SOUTHWEST WANTS LESS QUIRK, MORE CASH

Southwest Airlines is studying changes to its quirky boarding and seating policies as it searches for ways to raise more revenue. Airline officials say they are studying possible changes but won’t have anything to announce until September. That tease is leading to speculation about whether Southwest might ditch some longstanding traditions, including the practice of passengers picking their own seats only after they board a plane.

AIR CANADA SEES ‘STRONG SIGNALS’ ON BUSINESS TRAVEL

Canadians’ diminishing appetite for post-pandemic travel helped nudge Air Canada to an $81-million first quarter loss, though the company boosted passenger revenues by nearly 11 percent year over year in the quarter ended March 31. The airline also says it is seeing “very strong signals” on business travel on the horizon.

WESTJET HAS HIGH HOPES FOR HALIFAX, ATLANTIC CANADA

In visit to Halifax this week, WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech detailed the airline’s efforts and growth strategy in the region, including the resumption of transatlantic service, increased service to popular sun destinations in the winter, and enhanced east-to-west domestic air service to connect Canadians from coast-to-coast.

HOW IT WORKS: New Air Canada coach service connects Hamilton, K/W to YYZ

Air Canada has launched new – and free – motorcoach service connecting southern Ontario’s Hamilton-Wentworth and Kitchener/Waterloo Regions to Toronto Pearson International Airport, at the same time enabling customers to create a single itinerary when booking travel with Air Canada through YYZ.

AIR CANADA SUSPENDS NEW SEAT SELECTION FEE

Air Canada as pressed pause on a new seat selection fee a mere couple of days after it implemented the policy. For years, customers with economy fares have been able to change the seat automatically assigned to them at check-in free of charge. However, travel agents received notice from the company this month that lower-tier passengers who had not purchased a seat in advance would have to pay a fee to change their automatically designated spot, starting April 24.

TRANSAT FLIGHT DISPATCHERS THREATEN STRIKE

Another round of labour trouble is threatening to disrupt Air Transat, with the company’s 28 airline dispatchers in a position to strike, having voted for a strike mandate to protest what the union says is “disappointing progress” in labour talks. No Air Transat aircraft can depart without the approval of a flight plan by a flight dispatcher, though no strike date has been announced.

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