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TOO MANY CLOSE CALLS: FAA widens investigation

This August, US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was holding meetings at 90 airports after the National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating seven runway incursion events since January, including some that were potentially catastrophic. The FAA announced yesterday that runway 16 additional airports have been added to the list and will be investigated in the coming weeks after a series of troubling close-call aviation incidents.

THE REALITY OF TODAY’S RENTAL CAR MARKET

When Enterprise started to see automobile supply problems after the pandemic hit in 2020, the car and truck rental, fleet management and mobility company decided to cater to its long-term customers. Chrissy Taylor, CEO of the newly renamed Enterprise Mobility, emphasized rentals to businesses and insurance companies with clients whose cars were damaged in crashes.

BRIGHTLINE OFFERS COMMISSIONABLE FARES

Brightline, Florida’s intercity passenger rail connecting Miami to Orlando – having recently extended service to the theme park capital – has announced a new travel professional program that includes commissionable bookings for travel advisors, including those in Canada.

NEW ORLEANS FAM MONTH: Celebrate the holidays in the Big Easy with special rates

During the month of December travel advisors can take advantage of special hotel rates and exclusive offers courtesy of New Orleans & Company’s Holiday Travel Advisors independent familiarization trip. The annual program, which has been running for over a decade, enables travel advisors to opportunity to experience the city firsthand, while enhancing the city’s visibility and accessibility, and benefiting the travel industry.

CRYSTAL’S VISION FOR 2025

Crystal has announced its lineup of 2025 itineraries onboard Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony. Following the brand’s acquisition by the A&K Travel Group, the cruise line will offer 144 new destinations, ranging from far-flung destinations such as the Faroe Islands, to Shanghai. And cruises will be timed to match notable events like the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monaco and the Northern Lights in Norway.

ON THE GROUND AT WORLD TRAVEL MARKET

World Travel Market London kicks off today in the British capital with the annual event expected to be 20% larger than last year as the industry continues its surging post-pandemic recovery. Travel Industry Today is onsite at the ExCel venue in east London and will offer coverage in the days, weeks, and months to come, reflecting the always overwhelming amount of information disseminated at the world’s largest English language travel and tourism trade fair.

BRAZIL TO MILITARIZE KEY AIRPORTS, BORDERS TO FIGHT CRIME

Brazil’s is sending the armed forces to boost security at some of the country’s most important airports, ports, and international borders as part of a renewed effort to tackle organized crime in Latin America’s largest nation.

AIR CANADA ADDS STOCKHOLM IN 2024

Starting in June 2024, Air Canada will offer new summer seasonal service to Stockholm, with three weekly flights from Montreal and two weekly flights from Toronto. The strategic expansion of its route network in Scandinavia will also see increased capacity on its year-round Copenhagen flights from Toronto and an earlier seasonal start from Montreal.

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE SALUTES MIAMI VETERANS

In celebration of Veterans Day yesterday (November 05), Carnival Cruise Line welcomed approximately 200 local Miami-Dade veterans for a special military tribute event and appreciation luncheon aboard Carnival Horizon at PortMiami. Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy presented a 15-passenger van to the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System to assist with transportation of veterans participating in its programs and services.

SUNNY DAYS: Register for Orlando Canadian trade mission

Visit Orlando, along with theme park, hotel, transportation, and attraction partners, will host a series of training and marketplace events in Calgary, Toronto, and Halifax from Dec. 3 to 8. The “Orlando Canadian Sunshine Tour” marks the return of Visit Orlando to both Calgary and Halifax, which have new airlift to Orlando.

ROUND-UP: Oct. 30-Nov. 3, 2023

Last week, WestJet said so long to Swoop while Air Canada hello to Dubai (from YVR); in other round-up news, Viking is seeking reimbursement for its COVID refunds, CATO continued to question TICO’s review in Ontario, and G Adventures launched its “biggest, boldest,” sale of the year.

THE REAL THING: There’s no AI in I at Travel Industry Today

We don’t use AI. Indeed, Travel Industry Today produces content the old-fashioned way – by real people, who really travel, and through travel industry sources cultivated literally for decades. I mention this because a just-released survey by The Canadian Journalism Foundation reports that fully one-half of Canadians admit they are not confident in their ability to distinguish between fake news generated by AI and human-produced content.

UK, WESTERN EUROPE WHIPPED BY MASSIVE STORM

Recording-breaking winds up to 190 kph – some of the highest in decades – slammed France’s Atlantic coast Thursday as Storm Ciaran lashed the UK and countries around western Europe, cancelling flights and trains, uprooting trees, blowing out windows and causing travel mayhem around the region.

YOU GOTTA EAT HERE: Air Canada unveils top new restaurants for 2023

The 2023 Canada’s Best New Restaurants Top 10 have been unveiled by Air Canada, with Toronto restaurant Kappo Sato taking the coveted top spot. In it’s 22nd year, the list is the longest running and most respected Canadian restaurant ranking. More than 30 restaurants across the country were visited by a single anonymous reviewer in determining the rankings.

HOW SAFE ARE COCKPITS?

The recent attempt by an off-duty pilot to shut down the engines of a US airliner in midflight highlights the threat that insiders pose to aviation safety with their ability to go where passengers are prohibited. Events like the one on Horizon Air jetliner are very rare, but they are potentially devastating.

THE BEAT GOES ON: Liverpool museum celebrates birth of Beatlemania

The phenomenon of Beatlemania screamed itself into existence 60 years ago in October 1963. Sixty years later, Liverpool’s The Beatles Story has released a new video that explores the phenomenon with first-hand accounts of those frantic fanatical days.

NORTHWEST PASSAGE: An ultimate experience on ship and shore

Everything moves more slowly in Arctic. The seasons are condensed in Canada’s far north as nature takes advantage of a few fleeting months of light and hibernates in the long dark months. There’s a timelessness to the land that has never been altered by roads or development.

LISTENING IN: Electric Light Orchestra – It’s like magic!

It’s hard to pick a song for Electric Light Orchestra – after all, during the British band’s heyday (1973-86), the Jeff Lynne-led collective boasted 15 Top 20 songs on the Billboard chart (and 27 in their home country), not least the innovative Chucky Berry-Beethoven (Ludvig von) mash-up, “Roll Over Beethoven.” But since that classic clocks in at eight minutes and nine seconds, I’ve opted here for something a little more concise.

ARE TRAVEL COSTS REALLY RISING?

Dining out is more expensive than ever. The cost of gas is rising again. And the price of travel – including airfare and hotels – has kept pace. Right? Not exactly, according to a US study. Airfare costs declined by 13% between September 2022 and September 2023, according to September 2023 Consumer Price Index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

TRANSAT GETS CREATIVE WITH TIME CHANGE

Air Transat is getting creative with this weekend’s daylight savings time change, giving Ontarians a chance to win an all-inclusive trip to Jamaica. But only those who are out and about between 1 and 2 a.m. on Nov. 5 – just after the clocks are set back and an hour “lost” – and who spot a digital billboard with a QR code displayed for contest entry.

PUSHING BOUNDARIES, FACING RISKS: The surge of adventure tourism

The catastrophic implosion of the submersible Titan in June during an expedition to view the Titanic wreckage 4,000 metres below the ocean’s surface not only led to the deaths of all five people aboard but also called attention to the rise in adventure tourism.

CATO CONTINUES CALL FOR TICO REVIEW

The Canadian Association of Tour Operators (CATO) is continuing its campaign calling for the Ontario government to initiate a thorough review of the province’s Travel Industry Act, reiterating its belief that the ongoing TICO review is merely a “cosmetic change” that does not address that Act’s fundamental flaws, including providing adequate consumer protection.

SOUTHWEST ‘FAILED’ STRANDED PASSENGERS, SAYS COURT

US federal regulators have told Southwest Airlines that the carrier failed to provide enough help to travellers who were stranded during massive cancellations last December, and the airline could be subject to a fine. Southwest said in a regulatory filing Monday that it can’t estimate the cost of a fine and damages from lawsuits stemming from nearly 17,000 cancelled flights last December.

AIR SCARE: Pilot threatens to shoot captain over flight diversion

A Delta Air Lines pilot has been indicted for allegedly threatening to shoot the plane’s captain if the captain diverted the flight because of a passenger who needed medical attention. The man has been charged with interference with a flight crew – a felony offence punishable for 20 years in prison. Delta says the man no longer works for the airline.

LEISURE TIME: New-look WestJet ‘leans into leisure’

Despite his 20-month tenure at WestJet being “quite a roller coaster for sure” through the pandemic and its aftermath, WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech is enthused about his prospects for the company, for which he boldly proclaims, “We want to be the national leisure champions for Canada from coast to coast.”

AIR CANADA WILL WEATHER PAX RIGHTS OVERHAUL, SAYS CFO

Air Canada says the country’s passenger rights overhaul will hardly hurt its bottom line, though the full effect won’t be known until implementation next year. The financial impact of regulatory changes – both rights reforms and stricter rules around pilots’ shift length and rest periods – would put “additive pressure” on costs, the airline’s chief financial officer John Di Bert said,
but added, “certainly those would be incremental to the current cost base.”

THE GROWTH OF GARDEN TOURISM: International conference opens in Victoria

Canada’s “garden city” – Victoria, BC – is the setting for this week’s International Garden Tourism Conference, with more than 80 delegates from around the world on hand for the event, which is being held in this country for the first time. Public gardens are among the most frequented attractions for international travellers and were amongst the first to recover from the pandemic.

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