A couple of Canadian carriers scored top marks in prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards last week, while in other weekly news highlights: Sunwing Vacations reassured the trade; an Indian airline conducted the biggest buy of planes in history, Ottawa announced a major investment in sustainable aviation fuel; and a popular Australian tourist destination took a new name.
OceanGate Expeditions has confirmed the deaths of the five men on the Titan submersible. The landing frame and rear cover of the missing submersible were discovered on the ocean floor, 500 meters from the bow of the Titanic. The discovery by a remote operated submarine is said to mean the sub suffered a crack and imploded under the underwater pressure, instantly killing those on board. The US Coast Guard said the men would have died instantly, their bodies may never be recovered.
Retail sales growth – including travel – in Canada is continuing to outperform much of the world so far this year, a sign of the ongoing resiliency of Canadian shoppers despite higher inflation and recession predictions, a new report has found.
The last segment of a higher-speed rail line stretching from South Florida to the central part of the state has been completed, a milestone that was celebrated Wednesday by mayors from across the Sunshine State and which heralds the imminent arrival of much-anticipated service between Miami and Orlando.
For a mere US$450,000 per person, travellers will soon be able to travel to edge of space with Virgin Galactic, which will start regular commercial flights beginning in August. The space tourism company has been working for years to send paying passengers on short space trips and in 2021 finally won the US federal government’s approval.
Around 8,000 revellers – Druids, pagans, hippies, local residents and tourists –gathered around Stonehenge in southern England this week to express their devotion to the sun, or to have some communal fun.
Car capers dominated last week’s foolishness, along with bare butts, ‘satanic’ verses, and a macabre tale that would have been best left to Monty Python.
Four Seasons Yachts hasn’t even opened bookings for its first ultra-luxury ship, but it’s so confident that it’s already ordered a second.
Mention Matchbox 20 and the band is usually greeted with an “Oh, I love them.” It is entirely fair to say they are beloved, not least thanks to charismatic frontman Rob Thomas and not just by women (my wife included). A few years ago, Thomas, performing solo, blew the audience away at the annual IPW U.S. travel trade show.
It what is widely regarded as ‘the Oscars of the aviation industry,’ Singapore Airlines has been voted the World’s Best Airline at the 2023 World Airline Awards, the fifth time that the airline has scooped the Airline of the Year title in the 23-year history of the prestigious annual Skytrax rankings.
HIS Japan has announced a leadership change at TravelBrands, Red Label Vacations, and Merit Travel. Nathalie Tanious will take charge of the companies following the decision of President and CEO Frank DeMarinis to step down from the organization, effective July 21.
WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech says bringing Swoop and Sunwing Airlines under its banner won’t lead to higher airfares, since integrating the discount carriers will also tamp down costs.
The federal government moved this week to bolster accountability at airports, introducing new legislation that would compel them and other operators to cough up more information on their performance.
There’s no place like Wytheville. Literally. Unlike Washington or ubiquitous Springfield (notably home of everyman family the Simpsons), the southwest Virginia town is the only place in the US with that name (and the entire world, they claim).
From Carnival in Antigua and Barbuda to new properties in the US Virgin Islands, record tourist arrivals in Jamaica and the Barbados Food & Rum festival, here’s the some of the latest news from the Caribbean that has caught our eye.
Guests at Sandals Dunn’s River resort are guaranteed a “stellar” stay with the introduction of the luxury all-inclusive’s first “Stargazing Concierge,” part of a new and out-of-this world Celestial Experience at the newly re-imagined property in Jamaica.
With news swirling this week about the future integration of Sunwing Airlines into the WestJet fleet, the company’s tour operator arm is reassuring the trade that it’s “business as usual” and that the future is “brighter than ever.”
The head of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada says businesses are struggling to stay afloat under a pile of debt and a dearth of overseas visitors. In a poll of tourism operators, some 45 percent said they were likely or somewhat likely to shut down within three years unless the government steps in to adjust their loan conditions.
Tropical Storm Bret chugged toward the eastern Caribbean on Tuesday as forecasters warned it could strengthen into a hurricane before approaching a region rushing to prepare itself for an unusually early storm.
Police arrested a Norwegian citizen in Hungary on suspicion that he was planning an extremist attack modeled after a 2011 massacre in Norway that killed 77 people, and would have taken place across airports, railway stations and on airplanes.
In our latest retail round-up, Transat agents sailed with Scenic, Crystal made waves with Travel Leaders Network, and TRAVELSAVERS Canada talks technology.
Registration is now open for the ACTA Travel Industry Summits to be held in Toronto, Richmond, BC, and Laval, Que., in September. Travel advisors, managers, senior leaders, consortia, and host agency teams are all invited to attend.
Kwasi Bandoh, a senior recruiter for an airline, stood before a group of aviation mechanic students at their graduation ceremony last month and congratulated them for all having jobs. As some of the students began nudging each other, Bandoh realized that perhaps not every one of them had already been hired.
In a record-setting order that underscores surging demand in India for air travel, IndiGo airline said it is buying 500 passenger jets from European plane-maker Airbus.
Experts seemingly disagree whether WestJet’s decision to shut down Sunwing Airlines and fold it into its main operations could mean less service and higher fares – or whether the Competition Bureau, competitors, and savvy consumers will ensure that fares stay competitive.
A rescue operation was underway deep in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland on Monday in search of a submarine that carries tourists to view the wreckage of the Titanic.
Vancouver ranks as the top domestic city being booked this year, according to new survey results released by First in Service Travel LTD (F1S) – one of North America’s largest independent travel agencies.
G Adventures has posted a new toolkit for travel counsellors to help promote its new brand campaign. Meant to be “part rally cry, part love-letter to real travel,” “Bring on the World” is designed to capture the type of travel the community tourism pioneer stands for: “unforgettable experiences, deep connections, and a world-changing ethos,” while at the same time “inspiring travellers to welcome whatever their adventure happens brings their way.”
Ferry travel between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia has been cancelled until at least Wednesday morning due to technical problems with the service’s sole vessel, the MV Confederation.
Canadian travel industry veteran Vicki Ioannou-Theophilou has joined JacTravel to boost the British-based destination management company’s presence in North America in the role of regional sales manager.