Aviation

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.

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.

Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, will move its operations to the city-state’s second, sprawling airfield in its southern desert reaches “within the next 10 years” in a project worth nearly US$35 billion, its ruler said Sunday. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s announcement marks the latest chapter in the rebound of its long-haul carrier Emirates after the coronavirus pandemic grounded international travel.

Food service workers are returning to return to work at Pearson Airport after reaching a tentative agreement with airline caterer Gate Gourmet nearly two weeks after walking off the job, meaning travellers through Toronto may soon find a full menu option on flights once again.

Preventing passenger screening technology using automated face matching technology is misguided and dangerous and will only serve to undermine security and disgruntle travellers by creating longer customs line-ups and delays, the US Travel Association is warning.

Calling Alberta’s capital “the heart of our ambitious growth strategy,” WestJet’s chief executive told Edmonton’s business and community leaders Wednesday that the airline is intent on being the city’s top airline and cementing its “well-deserved position on the global stage, making it one of the most connected cities of its size in North America.”

The US government issued final rules Wednesday to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or cancelling a reservation. The Transportation Department said airlines will be required to provide automatic cash refunds within a few days for cancelled flights and “significant” delays, which it defines as three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international ones.

As airfares continue to surge, travellers are increasingly turn to “skiplagging” for more affordable options – a practice frowned upon by airlines. But it’s travel advisors who often pay the price, says the World Travel Agents Associations Alliance (WTAAA), which is urging airlines to stop penalizing agents when clients break the rules.

Flight simulator maker CAE Inc. says it has signed an agreement with Nav Canada to help train flight service specialists and air traffic controllers beginning this fall. In July, IATA called out air traffic control organizations in North America, which include Nav Canada, for staffing shortages that “continue to produce unacceptable delays and disruptions.”

US authorities are investigating after a video that surfaced on social media showing a man who appears to be Colorado Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens sitting in the pilot’s seat “at cruise altitude” while bound for Toronto. The Instagram post, which has been taken down, included a caption that said “the captain and the first officer” of a United Airlines charter flight had allowed the poster to sit in the cockpit during the flight from Denver.

Jay Sorensen flies both business class and economy. While the differences between the two have always been stark – priority boarding and free alcohol are decades-old features of first-class travel – lately the gulf seems to have widened, says the consulting firm president. Economy-class trips are defined by shrinking legroom, narrower cushion space, diminishing rewards for frequent fliers and, especially, the myriad fees that can pile up like thunderclouds as airlines increasingly offer top-up options on their tickets.

WestJet guests will gain access to six additional cities across four Asian countries from Incheon International Airport (ICN) through an expansion of WestJet’s codeshare agreement with Korean Air, one of the world’s only 5-star airlines as awarded by Skytrax. The new service will begin on May 17, corresponding with the previously announced launch of seasonal service between YYC and ICN.

WestJet reports that it has purchased the first Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) supplied in Canada by Shell Aviation, marking another milestone in the company’s mission to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and signifying another step forward in making Canada’s aviation industry more sustainable.

In an open letter to customers affected by the historic rain event in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates last week, Emirates Airlines president Sir Tim Clark apologized Saturday for disruptions to its service due to the weather and the carrier’s response, which he admitted was “far from perfect,” but which also gave a glimpse into the airlines’ “all hands on deck” response to providing thousands of passengers with rooms, meals, water and medical attention.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has been named Best Airport in North America at the prestigious Skytrax World Airport Awards in Frankfurt, Germany. Skytrax is recognized as the world’s premier international airport awards, with honours assessed according to votes cast by more than 13-million passengers worldwide.

Citing an ongoing commitment to gender equality, Air Canada has announced the first Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) edition of its popular Fan Flight program, giving young fans a chance to attend a game during the upcoming PHWL Finals.

Four US Army airplanes arrived in Prince Rupert, BC, on April 6, 1924 – their first stop in what was the first-ever flight around the world, a historic 175-day journey crossing the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. 

About 800 airline food service staff at Toronto’s Pearson airport went on strike Tuesday, leaving thousands of passengers without meals. Gate Gourmet employees voted 96 percent against an offer from the Swiss-owned travel catering company on Monday night, Teamsters Canada said.

The union representing WestJet Encore pilots says a tentative deal has been struck with their employer, days before the pilots had threatened to go on strike.

Lynx Air says Sabre Corp. has “refused to assist” with passenger reimbursement for the now-defunct ultra-low-cost carrier, which ceased operations and filed for creditor protection in late February.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked roadways in Illinois, California, New York and the Pacific Northwest on Monday, temporarily shutting down travel into some of America’s most heavily used airports, onto the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges and on a busy West Coast highway.

Less than a week after re-instating flights between Canada and Israel, Air Canada cancelled service due to the weekend’s missile and drone attack against the country by Iran. Air Canada stated on its website that operations to Tel Aviv were “paused” with flights cancelled on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. At press time, the carrier said the next scheduled flight is now Thursday, April 16.

The Grande Prairie Airport has received $140,000 from the Alberta provincial government to explore renovations that could include adding customs and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The money will fund a Canadian Border Services Agency Facilities Study.

Toronto’s airports authority has announced a multibillion-dollar plan to update and modernize Toronto Pearson Airport. The program will see the refurbishment of existing airport assets, including high-speed taxi lanes, a modernized airfield electric lighting and control system, and interim terminal facilities.

With rising travel costs and some airlines introducing surge pricing policies on checked baggage, plus new paid seat options, Corporate Traveller Canada’s latest poll paints a vivid picture of the strains facing Canadian business travellers today.

With little fanfare, Air Canada has resumed service between Canada and Israel following a six-month pause. The airline says flights between Toronto and Tel Aviv resumed April 9, and a once-weekly flight between Montreal and Tel Aviv will resume in May.

An Australian court has rejected a case brought by five women seeking compensation from Qatar Airways over invasive gynecological examinations conducted on passengers at Doha’s airport in 2020, but their case against the airport’s operator is going ahead.

The Oakland International Airport has voted to add “San Francisco” to its name to attract more passengers, but its neighbours across the Bay have slammed the  rebrand. Oakland airport officials say travellers unfamiliar with the region fly into San Francisco’s airport even if their destination is closer to the East Bay airport. Modifying the name to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport will change that, they say. The airport’s three-letter code OAK would not change.