Aviation

LYNX LINES UP L.A. FOR MONTREAL SERVICE

Lynx will launch a new route between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) this summer with three non-stop flights per week starting on July 11, increasing to daily service as of Aug.11, 2024

IS SPIRIT SPENT? What’s next for troubled airline?

Spirit Airlines hasn’t made money since before the pandemic, ticket sales haven’t bounced back as quickly as the carrier expected, and dozens of its planes will be grounded at times this year because of a problem with the engines. But after a federal judge in Boston scuttled plans for JetBlue to buy the troubled carrier last week, some analysts who follow Spirit are tossing around the B word – bankruptcy.

LOSS OF FLIGHTS A BLOW TO NORTHERN ONTARIO COMMUNITIES

Perimeter Aviation, the parent company of Bearskin Airlines says it plans to discontinue passenger service from Thunder Bay, Ont. to Dryden, Fort Frances, and Kenora effective May 11. Termination of the flights is being blamed on financial reasons.

INTERNATIONAL LAYOVERS: How much time is really needed?

Most airlines recommend arriving at least two hours before domestic flights and at least three hours before international flights. But do passengers need that much time for connections between international flights?

NEW FLIGHTS ‘GREAT NEWS’ FOR REGINA

Lynx Air has announced the addition of Regina to its network starting in June. The new gateway marks the discount carrier’s first foray into the Saskatchewan market and brings to 23 its total number of North American destinations.

WESTJET ENCORE PILOTS START CLOCK ON JOB ACTION

Citing a “near standstill” in negotiations, the union representing pilots with WestJet’s regional subsidiary says it has started the clock on potential job action – though any moves on that front are still at least three months off.

PORTER OFF TO LA-LA LAND

Porter Airlines celebrated the start of daily roundtrip service between Toronto Pearson and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) yesterday, expanding east-west connections between eastern Canada and southern California.

JETBLUE-SPIRIT DEAL GROUNDED: Judge blocks $3.8-billion buyout

A US federal judge is siding with the Biden administration and blocking JetBlue Airways from buying Spirit Airlines, saying the US$3.8 billion deal would reduce competition. The Justice Department sued to block the merger, saying it would drive up fares by eliminating Spirit, the nation’s biggest low-cost airline.

BOEING PROMISES INCREASED INSPECTIONS OF MAX 9s

Boeing told employees Monday that it plans to increase quality inspections of its 737 Max 9 aircraft, following the failure of an emergency exit door panel on an Alaska Airlines flight last week. It is the latest in a series of troubles for Boeing, whose reputation as the premier American aircraft manufacturer has been tarnished by a series of manufacturing flaws that have led some airlines to hold off aircraft purchases or go with its European rival, Airbus.

U.S. CRACKS DOWN ON BOEING

The US Federal Aviation Administration says it will begin auditing Boeing’s aircraft production and increase oversight of the troubled manufacturer after a panel blew off a jetliner in midflight last week, the last in a string of mishaps for its marquee aircraft.

AIR CANADA CONTESTS DECISION ON POWER WHEELCHAIRS

Air Canada has appealed a decision by the country’s transport regulator that seeks to boost accessibility for travellers living with a disability. If successful, the move would overturn a requirement to fully accommodate passengers whose wheelchairs are too large to move into airplane cargo holds.

HAPPY ENDING: Bomb scare not a threat St. John’s airport

Officials at the St. John’s International Airport say a bomb threat that halted commercial flights Friday morning was not really a threat after all. A post on the X said police and officials from Transport Canada and the airport determined the threat to be “non-credible” and operations resumed around noon.

IT’S THIS CLOSE: Air travel nears full recovery

In a sign that 2024 will prove to be the year that air travel is fully recovered from the pandemic, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that data for November 2023 indicated that air traffic demand topped 99% of 2019 levels.

THE WORLD’S MOST ON-TIME AIRLINES

Recently we learned that passengers perhaps ought not set their watches by Canada’s major airlines. But which carriers do boast the best on-time performance? In its annual 2023 On-Time Performance Review, respected aviation analytics firm Cirium celebrated operating excellence in the aviation sector, including airlines and airports, hailing a host of winners from every corner of the globe.

NEW JETBLUE CEO FIRST FEMALE TO LEAD A U.S. AIRLINE

JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes will step down next month and be replaced by the airline’s president, Joanna Geraghty, who will be the first woman to lead a major US carrier. Geraghty, 51, joined JetBlue in 2005 and has taken on an increasingly prominent role at the New York-based airline in recent years, including becoming president and chief operating officer in 2018.

RIPPLE EFFECT: How Max 9 issues could affect Canadians

Canadian air travellers will be largely unaffected by the grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max 9 airplane, but they may want to double-check their itineraries nonetheless. Some passengers could be booked on routes – notably those by Alaska Airlines and United – affected by the US Federal Aviation Administration order, which has grounded the aircraft.

THE PLANE FACTS: Canadian carriers unaffected by latest 737 Max mishap

Canadian airlines say they don’t fly the Boeing 737-9 Max jetliners that US regulators have grounded after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout while in flight. The Alaska Airlines 737-9 Max jetliner blew out a window and a portion of its fuselage shortly after takeoff nearly five kilometres above Oregon late Friday, creating a gaping hole that forced the pilots to make an emergency landing as its 174 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks.

BACK TO BARGAINING FOR TRANSAT, FLIGHT ATTENDANTS

It’s back to the bargaining table this week for Air Transat and its flight attendants after the latter voted to voted to reject a tentative deal with company. There are currently no strike or lock-out notices issued by either party and both say they are keen to reach a new agreement quickly.

PASSENGER CRAWLS INSIDE PLANE ENGINE, DIES

A man was found dead inside an airplane engine Monday night at Salt Lake City International Airport after police say he breached an emergency exit door, walked onto the tarmac, and climbed inside the jet’s engine.

‘IT WAS HELL’: Planes collide at Tokyo airport

A large Japan Airlines passenger plane and a Japanese coast guard aircraft collided on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Tuesday and burst into flames, killing five people aboard the coast guard plane, officials said. All 379 people on Japan Airlines flight JAL-516 got out safely before the Airbus A350 was fully engulfed in flames, Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito confirmed.

CANADIAN CARRIERS LAG IN 2023 ON-TIME SCORES

A new report says Air Canada had the worst on-time performance among large airlines in North America in 2023. Aviation data firm Cirium says the country’s biggest carrier landed 63 percent of its flights on time last year, placing it last among the continent’s 10 biggest airlines. The best performance was delivered by Delta Airlines at 85 percent on-time.

CHECK-IN MADE EASY: The future looks faster

IATA has rolled out the next generation of travel documentation and verification system to support contactless travel and enhances the passenger experience. Timatic AutoCheck offers a streamlined and interactive experience enabling travellers, airlines, and travel professionals to easily access accurate and clearly worded immigration information. The entire document checking process has been automated with tailored instructions for each passenger.

BACK TO THE FUTURE: First flight for army-run Mexicana

Mexico launched its army-run airline Tuesday, when the first Mexicana airlines flight took off from Mexico City bound for the Caribbean resort of Tulum. The airline’s military-run holding company now also operates about a dozen airports, hotels, trains, the country’s customs service and tourist parks.

SEXISM IN THE SKIES: Flight attendants’ long journey to equality

Even before her job offer was finalized in 1973, Senka Dukovich realized her career as a flight attendant had an expiry date. “I had to sign a contract as a new hire that I would quit after 10 years, or that I would quit at 32 years old, whichever came first. Can you believe that?” she recalled.

US FEDS SEEK DECEIT IN AIRLINE LOYALTY PLANS

The US Department of Transportation is investigating possible deceptive practices in airline loyalty programs after federal lawmakers raised concerns about how companies are calculating points and rewards. DOT says it is planning “to carefully review complaints regarding loyalty programs and exercise our authority to investigate airlines for unfair and deceptive practices that hurt travellers as warranted.”

AVIATION INDUSTRY TAKES BABY STEPS TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

From repurposed planes and the use of new technology to a milestone flight using biofuel, a key aviation session at the recent World Travel Market London heard how established and new airlines are working towards a more sustainable future.

TRANSAT TAKES FLIGHT FOR PERU

Air Transat took flight for the first time to Peru Wednesday night with sister-service from Montreal following today (Dec. 22). The non-stop flights – the only ones between Canada and Peru – will be operated throughout the year, with two departures per week from YYZ and one departure per week from YUL.

TRAVEL LIKE A PRO: Air Canada’s expert tips for the holidays

With more than 3.25 million customers expected to travel with Air Canada on 1,200 Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, and Air Canada Express flights globally, every day, the airline wants to make sure that travellers spend more time with loved ones than in lines at airports. With this in mind the airline has revealed its top travel tips to help customers “travel like an expert” during the peak holiday period, which runs from mid-December until Jan. 7.

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