This year, as a trade war grinds on with the United States, Canadians who decide to vacation within their country are realizing their patriotism comes with a hefty price tag – and some are choosing to scale back their plans as costs spiral “out of control.”
Air Canada expected most of its North American routes to be back up and running on Thursday after resuming operations Tuesday following the conclusion of a strike by its flight attendants.
While turbulence-related fatalities are quite rare, the number of injuries has grown over the years. Some meteorologists and aviation analysts note that reports of turbulence encounters also have been increasing and point to what climate change may be doing to flying conditions. Several turbulence-impacted flights have been reported this year.
With Labour Day weekend fast approaching, many pet owners are gearing up for one last summer road trip. Allstate Insurance Company of Canada is launching a campaign to encourage Canadians to reconsider how they travel with their furry family members and prioritize their safety.
Air Canada says it is adopting a policy to cover “certain transportation expenses” incurred by customers while getting to their destinations during the recent work stoppage. The airline says it will reimburse customers for those costs if they had a cancelled flight originally scheduled to depart from Aug. 15 to Aug. 23, Air Canada was unable to rebook them, and they then made alternative arrangements themselves.
Flight delays and cancellations at major airports are prompting many travellers to adjust their plans according to the Global Rescue Summer 2025 Traveller Safety and Sentiment Survey.
Mariah Erkloo remembers as a child watching massive, gleaming vessels glide into her hamlet of Pond Inlet, Nunavut, bringing strangers to her Arctic home for a few hours before vanishing over the horizon. It wasn’t an altogether positive experience, she recalls.
Dedicated to uplifting communities through tourism, non-profit Planeterra has released its 2024 Impact Report, demonstrating the immense power of travel to fuel local economies and preserve cultural traditions worldwide. The report reveals that communities earned almost $3 million ($2,896,802) from the non-profit’s travel company partners in 2024, directly benefiting over 30,000 people across 51 countries.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced a landmark collaboration with four premier New York City cultural institutions – the American Museum of Natural History, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art – that will transform the new US$4.2 billion Terminal 6 (T6) at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) into a distinctly New York arts district within the airport.
Air Canada is taking flight “in earnest” today (Wednesday) after the company reached a tentative deal with the union representing its flight attendants to end a strike that began Saturday morning. A full resumption of service may take up to 10 days, says the airline.
In announcing its tentative deal with the Air Canada on behalf of the airline’s flight attendants yesterday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees declared “unpaid work is over” after making it a central issue in its push for a new contract.
With Canadian and Mexican visits reduced to “just a drip,” tourism in Las Vegas is slumping this summer, with resorts and convention centres reporting fewer visitors compared to last year. And some officials are blaming the Trump administration’s tariffs and immigration policies for the decline.
Following a year of record bookings and what it is says is soaring demand for meaningful, connection-focused travel, Women Travel Tribe (WTT) will run 50 trips for women over 50 in 2026, tripling its women-only offerings, which are designed to embrace the notion that “the most meaningful part of travel is not the place, but the people they share it with.”
Lethbridge Airport (YQL) is taking measures to combat human trafficking by joining the “notinmycity” initiative. This initiative founded by country singer Paul Brandt in 2017 provides training for employees and the symbol of a yellow rose will soon be found in both the airport and the website to help give victims hope and spread awareness of human trafficking.
Visit California has launched a new Accessibility Hub, a comprehensive online resource designed to empower travellers with disabilities to explore the Golden State with greater ease and confidence. The initiative supports both travellers and industry professionals with tools, tips and curated content aimed at making California more inclusive and navigable for all.
Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants have reached a tentative deal to end a strike that began on Saturday morning. The airline said it will gradually begin operations Tuesday.
The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) is sharing important information for consumers who booked packaged travel that include flights on Air Canada. This includes packages booked with Air Canada Vacations and other TICO-registered businesses whose packages include Air Canada flights.
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) has opened a new office in Canada with the Toronto venue having the distinction of being the destination’s first independent overseas office. On hand for the official opening last week was the twin island nation’s minister of tourism Charles ‘Max’ Fernandez, along with ABTA CEO Colin C. James.
A judge on Monday fined Qantas Airways AU$90 million (CDN$80.8 million) for illegally firing more than 1,800 ground staff at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The penalty is in addition to the AU$120 million ($108 million) in compensation that Australia’s biggest airline had already agreed to pay its former employees.
Together with Visit Europe (European Travel Commission), New Deal Europe is launching an ambitious campaign to introduce North American tour operators and travel advisors to Europe’s culturally and naturally diverse Alps2Adriatic region of Europe. The campaign will include an extensive visit to Canada in September, including 11 cities across the country.
National galleries and museums across the country have seen a 15% in attendance so far this summer after the federal government introduced free or discounted admission through the new Canada Strong Pass. The pass, which took effect on June 20 and is available until Sept. 2, offers free national museum admission to children 17 and under, and a 50% discount for those aged 18 to 24.
Air Canada says it expects flights to resume Monday night, even as its striking flight attendants were refusing a federal back-to-work order that the airline deemed “illegal.” The flight attendant union’s defiance forced the company to scrap plans to restart operations on Sunday causing the cancellation of nearly a thousand more flights.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute suggests that Air Canada’s reputation appears to be rapidly losing altitude amid a battle between the company and unionized flight attendants.
Luxury and experiential travel specialist Virtuoso, which welcomed 4,800 industry professionals from 107 countries at its 37th annual Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas last week, has revealed its latest findings on the sector, based on the opinions of its network of travel agencies and advisors, preferred partners and clientele. In a word, it is “robust.”
Hurricane Erin to a Category 3 hurricane Sunday as its outer bands continued to lash the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with heavy rains and tropical-storm force winds. While Erin’s maximum winds diminished, the storm’s overall size grew and forecasters issued tropical storm warnings for the Turks and Caicos Islands and a watch for the southeast Bahamas.
Skeptics who think that Vancouverites exaggerate just how much rain the city gets as a means of discouraging others from moving there take note: Several rainfall records were shattered in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley in British Columbia last week, with the Vancouver International Airport smashing its record from over a century ago.
News nuggets, airlines, hotels/resorts, cruising, tours, events, FAMS/incentives, deals, destinations and more are covered in our weekly round-up of travel industry news you may have missed.
A demonstration by more than a dozen members of the union representing Air Canada’s flight attendants prompted the airline to shut down a press conference on Thursday as tensions between the two sides continue to mount ahead of a weekend work stoppage.
Service disruptions at Air Canada this week and the possibility of a strike by the carrier’s flight attendants this weekend highlight the critical role of travel advisors, says ACTA.
It can be challenging for customers – and the travel advisors who book them – to be stuck in the middle of a labour dispute, dealing with delays and cancellations. But travellers may be in luck if they booked their tickets with a credit card that has built-in travel insurance – with one caveat.