Aviation

Porter Airlines is adding another destination to its sun network with service to Providenciales (PLS), Turks and Caicos. The new non-stop flights are available from Toronto Pearson five times weekly, beginning Nov. 6, and Ottawa twice weekly, beginning Dec. 17.  

Air Canada announced its customer service employees ratified a new collective bargaining agreement. The agreement with Unifor applies to about 6,000 employees across contact centres, customer relations, concierges and other business segments. 

Spanish carrier Iberia officially launched its new direct route between Toronto and Madrid on Saturday. The new route will operate five times per week – Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays – and offer more than 37,000 seats during the summer season.

Soaring fuel prices and a halt of all of its flights to Cuba pushed Transat A.T. Inc. earnings deep into loss territory last quarter, as global strife continues to damage airlines’ bottom lines.

Sleep on a long-haul flight in economy class has always been a fantasy for many travellers. Air New Zealand will soon offer a solution that involves climbing into a triple-tier bunk bed wearing special socks.

IATA’s latest financial outlook for the global airline industry shows a halving of profitability as a result of war-related Middle East disruptions and high fuel prices – so much so that carrier per passenger profits wouldn’t even cover the cost of a hot dog at a FIFA World Cup game, says the association’s boss.

An Air Canada flight attendant got a thrill last week when she gifted pop superstar Rihanna a beaded lanyard from her Mohawk community south of Montreal.

The federal government has offered a loan lifeline to airlines struggling to cope with the soaring price of jet fuel, garnering a mixed response from the country’s carriers. The new program will let airlines borrow up to $150 million each, as fallout from the Iran war forces them to slash flight schedules and cut profit forecasts. 

WestJet and Icelandair have signed a reciprocal codeshare agreement offering travellers on both sides of the Atlantic enhanced access to a broader network of destinations with the ease of a single booking and ticket, as well as through checked baggage.

Porter Airlines has officially joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as a member, a milestone reflecting the airline’s rapid growth and its deepening integration with the global aviation community.

Metropolitan Montreal Airport – “MET” – will officially open its new terminal next week (June 15). Upon its opening, the terminal will host operations for Porter Airlines and Pascan Aviation, offering flights connecting Canadian destinations from coast to coast. The terminal will also be able to accommodate other airlines in the future.

Air Transat and Iberia have entered a new interline partnership with Iberia, further expanding the Canadian carrier’s footprint in Spain and enhancing travel options for its customers. The agreement enables Air Transat passengers to connect via Madrid (MAD) to over 20 destinations including Palma de Mallorca (PMI), Ibiza (IBZ), Tenerife (TFN and TFS) and Alicante (ALC).

With the stroke of a pen, Air Canada has signed an agreement designed to further “unlock the Americas” through a strategic partnership with the parent company of Avianca and GOL airlines.

Air Transat says it has enough fuel to maintain normal operations throughout the summer season. The message of reassurance further comes with enhanced flexibility conditions for clients applicable to its Eco Standard and Club Standard fares for a limited time. 

While the war in Iran has led to a significant downturn in air travel, North American carriers have held steady, posting exactly the same numbers for total demand (0.0% gain/loss) in April over last year, reports IATA.

It may seem counterintuitive, but BermudAir wants Canadians to think not only of Bermuda for their next winter holiday, but Turks and Caicos, and Anguilla too. That’s because the carrier is launching flights to the two Caribbean destinations from Toronto Pearson starting in December.

HTS’ (Hopper Technology Solutions) Cancel For Any Reason ancillary product is now available on WestJet.com and the WestJet app. Cancel For Any Reason allows guests to instantly cancel their flight up to 24 hours before departure and receive a refund percentage of their trip cost back to their original form of payment, no questions asked.

Air Transat will launch of a new non-stop route between Montreal (YUL) and Istanbul (IST), starting Oct 29. Operated year-round on an Airbus A330, the service will run twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Canada’s main flight attendants union is crying foul on airline submissions to the federal government for its probe into unpaid work in the sector. In a letter, the head of the union’s airline division says the self-audits on wages that airlines provided to authorities this month rely on a narrow and “misleading” definition of what constitutes work in order to show that cabin crew are paid fairly.

Nav Canada’s head of operations says the country continues to face a dearth of air traffic controllers as the busy summer travel season kicks off, but stresses the organization has put a raft of measures in place to plug the holes.

By STUART FOX/ The recent pressure on the supply of aviation fuel globally due to the war in the Middle East has put a spotlight on something most passengers never think about: the fuel in the aircraft. If the war continues, it won’t be long before we see fuel shortfalls in parts of the world. Flexibility could help the industry to make better use of the fuel we have, and airlines keep schedules intact.

Transat AT Inc. says high jet fuel prices added $70 million in additional costs for March and April compared with the same months last year. The travel company says fuel surcharges have only marginally offset the higher costs because a large portion of its bookings were made before the crisis caused by the attacks on Iran by the U.S. and Israel began.

The European Union’s energy commissioner said Wednesday that while there is no immediate threat to jet fuel supplies, the possibility of a longer-term shortage cannot be ruled out.

As talk of privatization swirls, the head of Toronto’s Pearson airport says the existing public ownership model has served travellers well – but she remains open to “enhancements” that tap into private-sector investment.

Toronto’s Pearson airport is launching a multibillion-dollar upgrade that aims to boost passenger numbers by more than a third to 65 million a year by the early 2030s. The revitalization plan looks to ramp up traffic and tighten on-time performance with improvements ranging from repaved runways to “modernized retail” and possible terminal expansions.