The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says it intercepted a record 6,542 guns – nearly 18 a day – last year at airport checkpoints across the America. And while experts don’t think this indicates an epidemic of would-be hijackers – nearly everyone caught claims to have forgotten they had a gun with them – they emphasize the danger even one gun can pose in the wrong hands on a plane or at a checkpoint.
Calling the process, simple, seamless, and safe, Air Canada has launched digital identification for passengers, becoming the first airline in Canada with approval to use facial recognition technology to confirm identification. The pilot project is currently underway for select customers departing from YVR for Winnipeg, and entering the Air Canada Café at Toronto Pearson, but will be expanded to other locations.
A Japanese startup has announced plans to launch commercial space viewing balloon flights that it hopes will bring an otherwise astronomically expensive experience down to Earth. The company CEO said passengers do not need to be billionaires, go through intense training or have the language skills needed to fly in a rocket.
Glittery and outrageous costumes were prepared again. Samba songs were ringing out ’til dawn at Rio de Janeiro’s sold-out parade grounds. And hundreds of raucous, roaming parties were once again flooding the streets over the weekend as the city’s iconic returned to form for the first time since the pandemic.
The US National Transportation Safety Board says is investigating a December flight in which a United Airlines plane nose-dived to within less than 250 metres of the ocean surface after taking off from Hawaii. The NTSB said it expects to issue a preliminary report in about two weeks. The agency said that it had been asking United questions about the incident before deciding whether to launch a formal investigation.
Carnival Cruise Line has a unique new member joining the top ranks of its loyalty club – a retired US Army service dog named Sarge. While sailing on Carnival Celebration earlier this month, Sarge reached Diamond status of the Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) Club – though in this case, the “P” could also stand for “pooch.”
The chair of the British Museum says that the UK and Greece are working on a deal that would see his institution’s Parthenon Marbles displayed in both London and Athens.
Voluntary “tips” from tourists could be just the ticket to help create a resilience fund that would support tourism-dependent nations in periods of disruption, according to tourism executives attending the first official Global Tourism Resilience Day (Feb. 17) in Jamaica last week.
Louisiana can properly claim the title “festival capital of the world,” with more than 400 festivals and events scheduled annually around the state.
Having carried 36 million passengers in 2022 and posting record passenger and operating revenues in Q4, Air Canada says it has a “positive outlook” for the start of 2023 and beyond. The carrier also reported achieving 83% of its pre-pandemic passenger revenue recorded in 2019.
Even if you consider yourself a Mardi Gras expert, we’re here to say you haven’t seen anything yet! Let’s go over a few basic terms you’ll want to know before you don a mask and head out for your Carnival experience, shall we?
MSC Cruises is inviting travellers to “discover the future of cruising” in a newly launched campaign that highlights the company’s commitment to the future of the industry – and the planet – not least with its intention of having zero-impact cruise operations by 2050.
There’s no shortage of ways to explore the Louisiana outdoors! Avid outdoorsmen can’t come to Louisiana without stopping by one (or more) of its 21 state parks that offer opportunities for camping, fishing, paddling, hiking, horseback riding and more.
George Myers, a well-known and popular tourism figure in the Bahamas, died last week at the age of 83. A pioneer of tourism in the islands, and integral in the development of Paradise Island, he was executive VP and COO of Resorts International for 15 years from 1977 to ’92 and subsequently his company ran Radisson Cable Beach Resort for 13 years.
Last week, ACTA continued its letter writing campaign for federal support; the Jamaica Tourist Board was on the road in Canadian cities; WestJet unveiled its summer service, including big Edmonton news; Machu Picchu re-opened; and a Mexican airline announced it was ending operations.
Booking.com’s annual Traveller Review Awards recognize 1.36 million travel providers from across 220 countries and territories for their commitment to providing consistently excellent – aka “welcoming” – service and hospitality over the course of the year. That’s a lot to list, so let’s simply break out the Canadian winners, plus offer a taste of the global top 10s as well.
It may not be as recognizable a name yet as the Cotswolds or Yorkshire, but England’s Great West Way tourism route – which runs west from London to Bristol and the Welsh border – already encompasses many of the country’s must-see sights, including Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath, as well as attractions like Hampton Court Palace and Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey), and Kew Gardens.
Tens of thousands of revellers danced in the streets of Cologne, Duesseldorf, Bonn and other cities and towns across the Rhineland Thursday as they celebrated the traditional start of Carnival in Germany. Dressed up in bright colours and creative costumes, they sang loudly and swayed to familiar tunes of brass bands and folklore music, and drank lots of beer.
Approximately 40 percent of pet owners include their pets in travel plans – and that number is growing, having doubled in the last decade, according to the recent American Pet Products Association’s ‘National Pet Owner’ survey. But flying with Fido doesn’t come without considerable circumstance and planning.
From a criminal with a conscience to a German ballet director without one, and weird Valentine’s pronouncements in India to a surprising revelation from Chick-fil-A, not to mention rare Dennis the Menace news, it was just another normal, wacky week.
I’m writing this from a padded lounge chair in The Sanctuary, a personal hideaway at the top of Sky Princess. On a ship that can carry more than 3,600 passengers, two attendants are at my beck and call and there are no other guests in sight.
It’s a shame that ABBA never sang “The Time Warp” as it would be the perfect intro to the “ABBA Voyage” show now playing in London – a concert performance that transports concertgoers back to the 1970s via incredible avatars that are indistinguishable from the real members of the Swedish pop super troopers.
The head of the US Federal Aviation Administration says he has taken steps to avoid a repeat of the technology failure last month that briefly halted all flights in the United States from taking off.
Germany’s air traffic control agency said Wednesday that it is diverting all flights away from the country’s busiest airport, Frankfurt, after a problem with Lufthansa’s computer systems caused major disruption at the German airline.
Machu Picchu has reopened after being closed nearly a month ago amid antigovernment protests. The move on Wednesday came after agreements between authorities in Peru with social groups and the local tourism industry to guarantee the security of the famed tourist attraction and transport services.
While nine in 10 Canadians are eager to take a vacation this year, 40 percent of them say that the stress of travel is discouraging them from doing so, according to a new survey from Blue Cross. And many others are taking measures to mitigate the risk.
ACTA reports it held its first meeting this week with its newly appointed 2023 Independent Travel Agent Advisory Group (ITAAG), a body tasked with advising ACTA on advocacy issues specific to independent travel agents.
Unique Vacations Canada is introducing another avenue for travel advisors learn more about Sandals and Beaches resorts with “The Sandals Scoop,” a new series of brief, casual one-on-one chats with various general managers across the chains. from Sandals and Beaches Resorts. Created exclusively for the Canadian market, the series debuts Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Transat A.T. inc. has announced the appointment of Julie Lamontagne as Chief People, Sustainability and Communications Officer of Transat. She will be responsible for developing and deploying initiatives in corporate culture, labour relations and talent attraction, retention, and mobilization. She will also oversee corporate responsibility programs as well as internal and external communications. She will begin her new role on March 13.
ACTA is asking travel agents again to send letters to their Member of Parliament in support of its recommendations on the federal Tourism Growth Strategy (TSG). The initiative is part of a wider effort by the travel industry in Canada to ensure that its concerns are top of mind as the government prepares its upcoming 2023 budget.