Aviation

The WestJet Group says it has completed its acquisition of Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines. The transaction, which will see the two brands maintain independent operations, signals a “bright future” for WestJet’s ambitious growth strategy, says the company. Notably, now former Sunwing CEO Stephen Hunter has been appointed CEO of the WestJet Group’s Vacations Business, responsible for all tour operating and vacation package businesses of both brands.

It’s not WestJet pilots, who are in a position to strike later this month, but the 350 members of Unifor Local 531 have reached their first tentative deal with WestJet at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. The members unit are primarily customer service agents and baggage agents at YYZ.

Boeing’s latest setback with production issues means airlines will have fewer planes than they expected to handle big crowds of travellers this summer. CEO David Calhoun said that delivery delays will remove about 9,000 seats from airline schedules this summer.

Canadian airports and airlines logged a large number of flight delays last month, raising questions about their readiness for the summer travel rush. Figures from aviation data firm OAG show large airports and carriers had a much weaker on-time record in March than comparable US outfits – and than their own performance in 2019.

What is going on. Yet, another allegedly drunk disruptive passenger on a plane has been detained for a ‘peegate’ incident. The acused was on an American Airlines flight from New York to Delh, when he apparently argued with another passenger and then urinated on him.

While European airlines are among the most affected by having to reroute planes around Russian airspace, Canadian carriers are impacted too, with planes enroute to East Asia and South Asia forced on hours-long detours daily, and no sign of relief on the radar.

With Southern Ontario’s population expected to grow significantly over the next two decades, adding to over 6.3 million residents already living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the federal government is assessing the requirement for additional airport capacity in the region.

Lynx Air is expanding its Montreal network with the introduction of six flights a week between Montreal Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) starting June 23.

Air Canada has announced its New Distribution Capabilities (NDC) program, featuring new benefits, expanded content and additional trade support for agencies and travel buyers. The airline says the program will provide a competitive alternative to legacy distribution, giving agents access to Air Canada inventory, fares, ancillary services, ticketing, and digital products.

Officials with Vancouver International Airport are promising new real-time weather monitoring equipment, gate protocols and better communication after releasing a review of the travel chaos caused by snow last December.

Less than a week before the end of conciliation, WestJet pilots sent “a strong message” to WestJet management with an overwhelming vote of support for a strike, should a negotiated settlement not be reached by May 16.

Southwest Airlines planes were briefly grounded nationwide in the US Tuesday for what the airline called an intermittent technology issue, leading to more than 1,800 delayed flights just four months after the carrier suffered a much bigger meltdown over the Christmas travel rush.

A French court on Monday acquitted Airbus and Air France of manslaughter charges over the 2009 crash of Flight 447 from Rio to Paris, which killed 228 people and led to lasting changes in aircraft safety measures.

The CEO of WestJet Airlines says his company is asking the federal government to allow airlines to recover passenger compensation costs from other industry partners, if they played a role in causing flight delays or disruptions.

Airlines in the US have reported fewer cases of unruly passengers since last April, when a federal judge struck down a requirement that people wear masks on planes and public transportation. Before that ruling, about two-thirds of all incidents on planes involved disputes over masks.

Air Canada has announced new, non-stop flights from Vancouver International Airport to Dubai. The new route will operate four times weekly beginning Oct. 28 using Air Canada’s Dreamliner fleet.

In a State of the Airline address to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce this week, WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech provided a comprehensive update of progress on its new strategic direction, including the airline’s plans in both east and western Canada, fleet renewal and new routes, and, of course, it’s takeover of Sunwing.

A new Sunwing survey of Canadian travellers says seven-in-10 (71%) respondents’ fondest vacation or travel memory was from a past or recent vacation as an adult – an overwhelming margin over holidays taken as a child or teen.

Air Canada and Dreams Take Flight returned to the skies yesterday for the first time since 2020 to take a plane load of disadvantaged children from Winnipeg to Florida for the trip of a lifetime, including a day at an Orlando theme park.

Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan’s compensation nearly doubled last year to US$5.3 million after being promoted to the top job during a year that ended with massive flight cancellations that will cost Southwest more than $1 billion.

Emirates is stepping up its frequency between Canada and the United Arab Emirates with two additional flights per week between Dubai and Toronto. The move to daily service, starting April 20, follows the announcement last week of an expanded air transport agreement between the two countries.

Environmental organizations are calling the decision by a judge against a Dutch government plan to require Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to reduce the number of flights from 500,000 per year to 460,000 “a slap in the face” and a blow against cutting emissions and noise pollution.

Canada and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have announced the conclusion of an expanded air transport agreement that allows 21 flights per week for each country – 50 percent more flights than the maximum number previously possible.

Canada Jetlines has pressed pause on its domestic routes as the upstart airline refocuses on sun destinations and leasing its planes, but says it plans to resume in-country flights come fall.

El Al Israel Airlines would like to return to Canada, but there is “no date circled on the calendar” for that to happen, admits the carrier’s Sr. VP Sales for North America.

Condé Nast recognition, a new member advisory board, and a new app feature designed to facilitate “blind travel dating” for solo travellers highlight this week’s round-up.

Expressing frustration after six months of failed negotiations, the union representing WestJet pilots says it expects to launch a strike authorization vote today (Monday) as contract talks with management drag on. If successful, pilots would be in a position to strike by the long weekend in May.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the US re-introduced legislation last week that would create a no-fly list for passengers who are fined or convicted of disruptive or violent behaviour on board an aircraft. In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration received nearly 2,500 reports of unruly passengers.