Aviation

Germany’s Cabinet has approved legislation that would impose tougher penalties on people who break through airport perimeters, a response to incidents such as disruptive protests by climate activists. The move follows airport protests in recent years by that caused disruption to flights.

Airfares rose two percent year-over-year in June – and continue to soar above pre-pandemic levels. Figures from Statistic Canada’s consumer price index show the increase follows a 4.5% year-over-year bump in May and a fairly flat April. Prices also stood nearly 19% above what travellers paid for their plane tickets in June 2019.

Turkish Airlines has enhanced its renowned Istanbul Stopover service for Canadian travellers, now providing an extra complimentary night’s accommodation at partner hotels for both Economy and Business Class passengers. This initiative is designed to enable travellers to immerse themselves in Istanbul’s rich history and vibrant cultural scene at no additional cost when flying internationally from Canada with a layover in Istanbul.

Delta Air Lines is changing its employee uniform policy following a turbulent ride through a social media storm started by a passenger’s outrage over two flight attendants photographed wearing Palestinian pins. The uproar over the July 10 post, which described the Palestinian pins as “Hamas badges,” has led Delta to ban its employees from wearing pins representing any country or nationality besides the US.

WestJet Airlines says the tentative contract between the company and its mechanics has been ratified. But though the deal is “good news,” the airline admits that the disruption the job action cause is “still concerning for our guests, the communities we serve, and our people.”

A United Airlines jet from Miami to New Jersey made an unscheduled landing in Orlando, Florida, this week after a passenger became “aggressive and disruptive,” the airline said.

Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two crashes of 737 Max jetliners that killed 346 people – in Indonesia and Ethiopia – the US Justice Department says, after the government determined the company violated an agreement that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years.

Air travel to and through the US got more miserable last year, if the number of consumer complaints filed with the US government is any measure. The US Transportation Department said Friday that it received nearly 97,000 complaints in 2023, up from about 86,000 the year before. The department said there were so many complaints that it took until July to sort through the filings and compile the figures.

Canadian airlines typically don’t get no respect from many Canadians, as Rodney Dangerfield would say. But how do others see our airlines? Well, they’re not as bad as you might think, at least according to the Skytrax, which recently revealed its annual World Airlines Awards for 2024, otherwise known as the “Oscars of the aviation industry.” So, who are the best this year, and how did we (Canada) do? Read on, you’ll be surprised – and impressed.

WestJet says its operations have “stabilized” after a strike by its mechanics and that no further cancellations are expected as of today (Friday) after eight on Thursday and 30 on Wednesday. The airline says the total number of cancellations due to the strike was 1,171 in just over a week after about 680 workers walked off the job June 28.

The European Commission on Wednesday approved Lufthansa’s takeover of Italian airline ITA with conditions to protect competition in a deal that Italy’s finance minister called “historic.” Lufthansa will invest 325 million euros (US$350 million) to acquire a 41 percent stake in ITA, formerly Alitalia, from the Italian government, gaining full control by 2033 with a total investment of 829 million euros.

On a warm Wednesday this month, a cartoon raccoon raised a cocktail glass and sarcastically saluted Air Canada. The social media image, posted by Porter Airlines, included an accompanying toast from the character: “Air Canada has now joined Porter in offering free beer, wine and snacks to all passengers. Thanks for joining our mission to help everyone actually enjoy economy!”

After a wild weekend of flight cancellations and stranded passengers caused by WestJet mechanics going on strike on Friday, ACTA is urging the airline to fairly compensate travel advisors for their “countless hours” working on behalf of clients during the disruption – which was resolved by Monday, though more cancellations were expected this week as the airline re-engages its fleet.

A new air transport agreement between Canada and Argentina promises to increase air service between the two countries. The arrangement updates and expands policies negotiated in 1979 and goes into effect immediately. Argentina is Canada’s second-oldest travel market in South America, after Peru.

Halifax Stanfield International Airport will receive an $18-million upgrade to its international connections facility – improvements that officials hope will attract more international flights to the Nova Scotia facility.

WestJet has reached a deal with its mechanics to end a strike that had disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of travellers over the Canada Day long weekend. However, the airline has warned that there will still be flight disruptions in the week ahead as its planes are brought back into service.

A possible long-weekend strike at WestJet has been averted. The federal government on Thursday directed the airline and plane mechanics into binding arbitration to resolve their dispute, steering clear of a work stoppage that could otherwise have disrupted flights for hundreds of thousands of travellers over the Canada Day long weekend.

Porter Airlines is launching two new seasonal, nonstop routes connecting Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) with Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The YUL-LAX route offers four-times weekly service beginning June 27, while the YUL-SFO route operates three-times weekly starting June 28.

The union representing food service workers at Vancouver International Airport says more than 200 have walked off the job to push for higher wages. A statement from Unite Here Local 40 says the workers are employed by SSP America, which operates more than a dozen food outlets at the airport.

WestJet says it faces a possible strike by its mechanics starting as early as Friday. According to the airline the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association has issued a strike notice that could mean a work stoppage as early as 5:30 p.m. (MT) on Friday.

Canadian North says it is taking a significant stride in advancing pilot training in Canada with the introduction of a state-of-the-art Boeing 737NG Full-Flight Simulator (FFS) that will begin operations in August at its new training centre in Edmonton.

A Korean Air flight to Taiwan was forced to return to Incheon airport west of Seoul after a sudden depressurization on the plane, a Boeing 737 Max 8, the transport ministry said Tuesday. Separately, Malaysia Airlines said one of its flights en route to Bangkok on Monday made a U-turn back to Kuala Lumpur after the Airbus A-330 experienced a “pressurization issue.”

Montréal-Trudeau International Airport is warning that conditions are likely to be congested at the facility again this summer due to increasing passenger numbers and the resulting car traffic that comes with it. Last summer, construction added to chaotic situation that left many travellers – both coming and going – frustrated and angry.

Congratulations to Air Transat who have been named the World’s Best Leisure Airline for the sixth time at the Skytrax World Airline Awards. The World’s Best Leisure Airline Award represents passenger satisfaction of the product and staff service standards that leisure airlines provide to customers onboard flights and at the airport.