Aviation

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Air Canada, the subject of scrutiny recently over low on-time performance results, says it achieved some of its best operational results in a decade over the holidays. The airline says it completed 98 percent of scheduled flights, with an on-time performance of 70 percent.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A 6-year-old boy who left on a flight for the Christmas holidays to visit his grandmother in southwest Florida instead was put on the wrong plane and ended up 160 miles away in Orlando, Florida.

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.

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.

Low-cost airlines Ryanair and Malta Air won a court case Wednesday against the European Union’s decision to approve billions of euros in state aid by the French government to Air France and holding company Air France-KLM during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Southwest Airlines will pay a US$35 million fine as part of a $140 million settlement to resolve a federal investigation into a debacle in December 2022 when the airline cancelled thousands of flights and stranded more than 2 million travellers over the holidays. The US government said the assessment was the largest it has ever imposed on an airline for violating consumer protection laws.

Air Transat passengers can now purchase upgrades on the airline with Plusgrade, which gives ticket holders multiple opportunities to move up to Club Class, featuring the comfort of an exclusive cabin, plus gourmet meals and priority airport service.

Seoul, South Korea will join WestJet’s growing list of international destinations starting in May, 2024. The airline’s second transpacific connection to Asia, along with Tokyo, underpins the continued establishment of the carrier’s global hub in Calgary, say company execs.

A Russian man who flew on a plane from Denmark to Los Angeles in November without a passport or ticket told US authorities he did not remember how he got through security in Europe, according to a federal complaint filed by the FBI.