Canada Jetlines has grounded its planes and ceased operations amid a cash crunch that caused it to become the third Canadian carrier in less than a year to stop flying. The airline, which flew mainly to sun destinations out of Toronto, said Thursday it has been unable to find the capital needed to stay afloat and plans to file for creditor protection.
WestJet says it will be issuing flight cancellations “for the foreseeable future” after planes were damaged by a Calgary hailstorm last week, upending travel plans for thousands of passengers. The country’s second-biggest carrier says 16 aircraft, or 10 percent of its fleet, remain out of commission nine days after the tempest rained down golf ball-sized ice pellets onto parts of southern Alberta, including the province’s largest airport.
The first-ever US Baggage Sanitization System has been introduced at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 7. Dubbed a “significant milestone in the travel industry’s ongoing efforts to combat the spread of infectious diseases,” the system offers a travellers a quick, turn-key solution to sanitize their baggage before bringing it home with them.
Experts say airfares may go up in the immediate aftermath of a hailstorm that tore through Calgary last week, damaging planes at WestJet and Flair Airlines and upending travel plans for thousands of passengers. Hailstones as big as golf balls pummelled the airport tarmac, forcing both airlines to ground 10 percent of their fleets for repairs and inspections.
Air Canada may be the official carrier of Team Canada, but that didn’t stop the Paris Olympics from hobbling its summer sales. Despite Canadians’ continued thirst for Mediterranean getaways, the airline’s transatlantic ticket proceeds suffered in its latest quarter as travellers from France and Germany opted to stay on the Continent to soak up the Olympics as well as Euro 2024, and many Canadians decided to avoid France during the Games.
A Chinese American teen is vying to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents in a quest that also aims to drum up donations for research into childhood cancer.
WestJet says cancellations and delays across its network will continue for the “foreseeable future” as it recovers from damage caused by an unprecedented hailstorm in Calgary on Monday night. As a result of the storm, 16 WestJet aircraft – 10 percent of its fleet – are grounded as they require substantial repairs and inspections before returning to service.
Air Canada saw its profits fall by half even while its revenue rose in its latest quarter, as the country’s largest airline struggled to complete the final stages of its recovery from COVID-19.
As part of the recent Aviation Career Exploration (ACE) week in Edmonton, Elevate Aviation and Air Canada invited a group of 17 women from diverse backgrounds in the city to be introduced to the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) profession as part of a Women Employment skills training program.
For the owners of Chrono Aviation, opening a new passenger route to Iqaluit isn’t necessarily about selling the most tickets. Chrono’s passenger service between Montreal and the capital of Nunavut took off this week (Aug. 6), with planes making the round trip twice a week.
The US Department of Transportation is proposing a new rule that would ban airlines – including foreign carriers – from charging parents more to sit with their young children. Under the proposal, released Thursday, airlines would be required to seat children 13 or younger next to their parent or accompanying adult for free.
Turbulence is knocking a beloved instant-noodle offering off Korean Air’s economy menu. Cups of Shin Ramyun instant noodles, a favourite among Korean Air travellers over the years, will no longer be available for economy-class passengers starting Aug. 15, a spokesperson for the Seoul-based airline said.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian says the airline is facing $500 million in costs related to the global tech outage last month that disrupted emergency services, communications, and thousands of businesses. Bastian said that the monetary amount represents lost revenue as well as “the tens of millions of dollars per day in compensation and hotels” for the five-day period.
Porter Airlines is launching non-stop flights to San Diego International Airport (SAN) and Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) from Toronto-Pearson International Airport (YYZ) this December. San Diego is a year-round route, starting Dec. 9, with four weekly flights. Palm Springs is a winter seasonal service, starting Dec. 12 with three weekly flights.
Consumer advocates south of the border are criticizing an appeals court decision that blocks a new US Transportation Department rule requiring airlines to more clearly disclose fees when they advertise prices for a flight. A three-judge panel on the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans said this week the rule “likely exceeds” the agency’s authority “and will irreparably harm airlines.”
Boeing named a longtime aerospace industry veteran on Wednesday as its next chief executive, who will take over a company that has been rocked by legal, regulatory and production problems, as well as a just-reported US$1.4 billion second quarter loss. Robert “Kelly” Ortberg, a former CEO at Boeing supplier Rockwell Collins, will succeed David Calhoun as CEO and president effective Aug. 8.
Vowing to “take low-fare travel to new heights,” Spirit Airlines is moving farther away from its history as a fee-happy budget airline and will start selling tickets that include some of its most popular extras in a single bundle.
A new study has uncovered the most coveted airplane seats by passengers. The results of a travel survey conducted by Texas-based Upgraded Points reveal preferences based on seat location, airline comfort, and specific needs, providing a comprehensive guide for passengers and, at the same time, aiming to settle once and for all the great debate: window or aisle?
Air New Zealand scrapped its 2030 carbon emissions reduction targets on Tuesday, citing lags in producing new planes, a lack of alternative fuel and “challenging” regulatory and policy settings.
WestJet and Air North have announced a new interline agreement directly connecting both carrier’s networks. Starting today (July 31), guests can book a single ticket with a connected itinerary between WestJet’s global network and the Yukon and Northwest Territories with single point check-in and through-checked bags for connecting itineraries.
The Competition Bureau says it is officially launching its market study of domestic airline service as concerns around prices and quality persist. Competition commissioner Matthew Boswell says “many Canadians are frustrated by the cost and quality” of air travel in Canada and that he aims to put forward recommendations on how to improve it.
Environmental activists caused disruptions outside Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport for several days last week in protest of Canadian fossil fuel policy. The latest action took place on Friday around 12:30 p.m. when three people with activist group Last Generation Canada glued their hands to a road that connects the airport’s departure and arrival ramps, temporarily blocking vehicle access to the terminal.
Air Canada hosted an official send-off celebration at Pearson airport for Team Canada athletes and delegation members Wednesday night for 2024 Paris Olympic Games onboard a Boeing 777 complete with a special celebratory livery for Team Canada. And the airline promised that, thanks to its ‘Going for Gold’ program, the athletes would arrive “rested and ready to compete at their best.”
Southwest Airlines says that it plans to drop the open-boarding system it has used for more than 50 years and will start assigning passengers to seats, just like all the other big airlines. The airline said it has been studying seating options, running tests and surveying customers and concluded that that preferences have changed over the years and the vast majority of travellers now want to know where they are sitting before they get to the airport.
WestJet and TELUS have unveiled the first step in a multi-year strategic partnership that will be a “significant leap forward for the airline’s inflight connectivity.” At the heart of the deal is fast, free internet for WestJet Rewards onboard flights, beginning before the end of the year.
Caribbean low-price airline Arajet is now selling routes connecting from Toronto and Montreal to Punta Cana, offering Canadian travellers a second destination and hub in the Dominican beyond the carrier’s Santo Domingo base. Service will begin Oct. 27 and onward connections to other destinations in the Caribbean and South and Central America will also be available.
US federal officials are investigating an incident in which a Southwest Airlines jet flew as low as 45 metres (150 feet) over water while it was still about 8 kilometers from its intended landing spot at the airport in Tampa, Florida. The pilots skipped over the Tampa airport and landed instead at Fort Lauderdale, 320 km away.
The WestJet Group, which includes both the mainline carrier and Sunwing Airlines, has announced its complete 2024/25 winter schedule, providing Canadians more non-stop sun destination routes than any other airline, the company says.
As other carriers returned to normal operations after Friday’s worldwide technology outage, Delta Air Lines said it was still struggling on Monday – suffering through a fourth straight day of cancellations and disruptions that have stranded tens of thousands of passengers.
Air Canada is lowering its 2024 forecast as it grapples with tough competition in international markets and its planes aren’t as full as it anticipated during the second half of the year. The airline says it now expects its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the year to be within $3.1 billion to $3.4 billion, down from its previous outlook of $3.7 billion to $4.2 billion.