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.
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.
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.”
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.
Lynx has announced another summer network expansion, offering service to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) from Toronto Pearson, starting March 28 and May 3 respectively. The new service will take the carrier to more than 10,000 seats per week to and from the US from YYZ.
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.
Canada has announced that it has expanded its air transport agreements with Ethiopia, Jordan, and Türkiye. The new rights under these agreements are available for use by airlines immediately and allow increased flights between Canada and each of the countries.
Air Canada has announced a significant boost to its North American network capacity for summer 2024 with the addition of two new destinations, Tulum, Mexico, and Charleston, SC. There will also be five new routes, increased flight frequencies on others, and earlier resumption of several popular seasonal routes in response to expected demand.
In a dramatic improvement over last year’s results, Transat AT Inc. showed a profit in its latest quarter, as the travel company continues to ramp up flights. CEO Annick Guerard said consumers show little sign of travel wariness, but increased competition and customer financial strain have begun to thin out profit margins even as the travel company guns for major growth next year.
Admitting that last year’s busy holiday season “highlighted several weak spots across Canada’s aviation ecosystem,” WestJet says it is gearing up across all touchpoints of its operations this year to ensure smooth travel for customers and avoid a repeat of the well-publicized delays that cast Canada’s airlines and airports in a negative light.
A Delta Airlines Flight left Amsterdam at 1.15pm on Sunday and was due to land in Detroit nine hours later. Instead it was forced to make an emergency landing at a Canadian military base in Goose Bay Newfoundland – a town of just 8,000 – causing over 270 passengers to be stranded on the plane for hours, before spending the night in the remote military base until a replacement flight could be arranged reportedly almost 24 hours later.
Boeing has promoted the head of its services business to chief operating officer, putting the female executive in discussion as a potential heir apparent to CEO David Calhoun in a male-dominated industry. Boeing said Monday that Stephanie Pope’s elevation to the job, which includes the title of executive vice president, takes effect Jan. 1.
Marking a historic milestone in its 75-year history, Inuit-owned airline Canadian North named its first Inuk president & CEO, Shelly De Caria, who had been serving in an interim capacity for the carrier, which connects remote and northern communities in Canada’s Arctic.
Airfares look set to stabilize across key routes around the world during 2024, according to a new forecast from American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), which predicts in its Air Monitor 2024 report that there will be marginal price rises on some regional and international business travel routes, but decreases on others.
Citing strong East Coast demand, Porter Airlines is increasing capacity on three Halifax routes. Beginning March 31, the Halifax-Ottawa route will have three daily, roundtrip flights, while St. John’s and Montreal will operate with two daily roundtrips, increasing to three daily in May – all operated by larger Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.
Canada has received a C grade on flight safety and oversight – down from an A+ and far below most of its peers – according to a draft report from a United Nations agency. The confidential audit from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) says the country has fallen precipitously to a score of 64 out of 100. Canada’s score topped 95% in the UN body’s previous report in 2005.
Air Canada has unwrapped its annual holiday video, a 1:30-minute animated spot designed “to capture the joy of reuniting with loved ones at the most wonderful time of the year.” “Once upon a Tree” is the story of two button-cute nutcracker bears who, after a year of being tucked away together, find themselves on separate sides of the tree.
The high cost of domestic air travel is largely due to the various fees the federal government charges airlines and airports, according to a Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) study released yesterday. Among the different fees that drive up ticket prices, the study focuses on three main ones: airport rents, security fees, and the fuel tax.
Air Canada has introduced a new air-to-rail booking option that allows customers to seamlessly connect at European airports to their onward journeys. With the launch of the European intermodal initiative, travellers can now, while purchasing an Air Canada flight, at the same time book their rail travel as well.
A lawyer for JetBlue Airways says that the biggest US airlines are using their size to cement their dominance in a post-pandemic world, making it critical that a federal judge allow JetBlue to buy Spirit Airlines. The lawyer, Ryan Shores, said JetBlue needs Spirit to be a “viable challenger” to the four airlines that control most of the domestic air-travel market.
Alaska Airlines has agreed to buy Hawaiian Airlines in a US$1.9 billion deal that officials of the airlines say would create a stronger company to compete with the nation’s Big Four: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. It would also create a “clear leader” in the lucrative, $8 billion Hawaiian market, said Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci.