A pack of four-legged therapists got a break of their own on Monday when they were honoured at the airport where they dutifully work to ease stress and calm travellers. The event at Philadelphia International Airport marked five years since the 23 members of the Wagging Tails Brigade began greeting people and serving as therapy dogs.
Flair Airlines says it is looking for partners to inject fresh capital into the discount carrier in order to “restructure” its finances and build out its fleet. Eric Tanner, VP of revenue management and network planning, said the company is hoping for partners to buy into the business as a way to deal with pandemic-era debt and allow the company to acquire jets beyond the 20 planes it now flies.
Travel is showing no signs of slowing for risk averse travellers who are motivated by the adoption of a YOLO (You Only Live Once) appreciation for life (43%) coupled with having more money and time (31%) available to dedicate to their travel plans, according to the Summer 2024 Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey.
As Maui continues to rebuild after last year’s devastating wildfires, the island continues to welcome back visitors. While some parts of Lahaina have yet to reopen, several restaurants, businesses and activities, such as returning festivals, in Lahaina have resumed operations. And to encourage visitors, Hawaii Tourism has launched a new destination campaign with special discount offers for visitors.
Weather-related travel issues it seems are becoming more frequent. Even if a traveller’s destination isn’t impacted by a weather event, it can still cause a ripple-effect at airports across Canada. Travellers have rights under the Canadian Transportation Agency’s Air Passenger Protection regulations, including assistance and refunds for delays and cancellations – but importantly, this does not apply to situations outside the airline’s control, like weather.
Princess Cruises is planning its biggest summer Caribbean cruise season ever in 2026, with two ships – Regal Princess and Caribbean Princess – sailing to all areas of the region for the first time ever. Now available for booking, clients can choose from over 90 voyages sailing from Ft. Lauderdale/Port Everglades and Port Canaveral respectively.
Air Canada says that “more than sufficient time” remains to settle outstanding issues with its pilots, who are in a legal strike position as of Sept. 17. However, the carrier is still preparing for the worst by introducing a “goodwill rebooking policy” for customers who are scheduled to travel between Sept. 15 and 23.
WestJet is renewing and expanding its distribution agreement with Amadeus, continuing to make all its fare options – along with merchandising capabilities – easy to book for travel advisors. Moreover, the carrier says all of its future NDC-based offerings will be available on the Amadeus Travel Platform.
Besides critical education and networking opportunities, ACTA says travel agents attending its Fall summits will have an opportunity to win a host of great prizes from sponsors, including grand prizes featuring Air Canada, Riverside Luxury Cruises, CroisiEurope Cruises, AeroMexico and more.
Globus family of brands is expanding its Canadian sales team, hiring travel industry veteran Gina Goranson and sales professional Elaine French as business development managers (BDMs) for Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland as well as Southwest Ontario, respectively.
Following the launch of its first Icon-class vessel Icon of the Seas in January, Royal Caribbean Group has ordered another ship in the class, with further options to build two more. The fourth Icon Class vessel, to be built in Finland, is scheduled for delivery to Royal Caribbean International in 2027.
Colombian airlines Avianca and LATAM Colombia said they would resume full schedules today (Wednesday) after warning earlier they would have to cancel dozens of flights due to shortages of jet fuel. Avianca said it had received confirmation from the nation’s main supplier of jet fuel that there would no longer be any restrictions on how much fuel was provided to airlines, enabling it to again sell tickets for all its routes and observe its planned flights.
The golf course is not a threatened species in the Sunshine State – but the Florida scrub-jay is. And advocates are warning that life for the small blue and gray birds and many other imperiled species could get much harder if Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration follows through on a proposal to build golf courses, pickleball courts, and 350-room hotels at state parks from Miami to the Panhandle.
Flair Airlines has launched a $1 base fare initiative, with the “groundbreaking” offer starting on northbound routes from Mexico, the US, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic to Canada. The carrier adds that it will continue $1 base fares on different routes across its network throughout the year.
An apparent cyberattack disrupted internet, phones, email and other systems at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) for a third day on Monday as Port of Seattle officials worked to investigate the outages and restore full service.
In this week’s dispatch, Travel Leaders Network (TLN) announces a host of new travel partners; details of Virtuoso new report on sustainable travel, and its leadership award winners in the space for their contributions, and First in Service (F1S) returns to its roots in Los Angeles. Travel Leaders Network Travel Leaders Network reports that
Goway and Air New Zealand faced off on the cricket pitch last Thursday in an annual tradition of partnership and friendly rivalry. The teams gathered at the Toronto Cricket Club for an afternoon match followed by a reception, attended by travel trade guests and “friends of Goway,” plus over 100 staff from the travel company.
Club Med has announced several developments across its international portfolio, including renovations at Club Med Cancún and Club Med Punta Cana, the development of Club Med’s first resort in the Gulf States, and a new partnership with prominent yoga instructor Jonah Kest. Read on for details.
TSA says air travel volumes this summer are the highest the agency has seen in its history. The agency expects passenger volumes to be 8.5% higher than last year during this time, and has already screened 239.8 million people since Memorial Day weekend, which is an average of 2.7 million per day.
Delta and American Airlines have both extended their suspensions of flights to Israel as the war between the country and the militant group Hamas continues, and hostilities with Lebanon threaten to escalate.
Travel advisors are key to the Spice Island of Grenada increasing its impact in the Canadian market and the head of its tourist board says it intends plans to work harder – and spend – in this country to make it so.
The road to recovery is starting to clear for businesses and the tourism in industry in Jasper, Alta., a month after some 25,000 visitors and residents were forced to flee a raging wildfire. While Jasper National Park and the town are still closed to visitors, late last week the park service reopened the road south through the Rocky Mountains that is a key draw for tourists.
Unique Vacations Canada has announced the return of its “Sandals and Beaches in 10” series of live, virtual training sessions, which first premiered in Fall 2021. Created exclusively for the Canadian market, “Sandals and Beaches….in 10” guides travel advisors through top-line info on the featured resort and a brief conversation with a member of the resort’s management team – all in just 10 minutes.
Possible strikes dominated last week’s news, with Air Canada pilots threatening job action, and London Heathrow border staff polishing their pickets for this coming weekend. Elsewhere, US airports are readying for their busiest Labour Day weekend ever, winter campaigns were unveiled by a trio of prominent tour operators, and Viking unveiled its newest ship on the Nile.
Air Canada pilots voted on Thursday to overwhelmingly approve a strike mandate, putting them in a position to walk off the job as early as Sept. 17. The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents more than 5,400 aviators at the country’s largest carrier, says the vote passed by 98 percent.
Key West, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, and St. Petersburg are among a host of Florida cities that have long championed diversity and been top US destinations for LGBTQ+ tourists. So, it came as a surprise to many this week when it was discovered that Florida’s tourism marketing agency has quietly removed the “LGBTQ Travel” section from its website.
Perhaps channeling Aussie Paul Kelly’s classic song lyric, “I’ve done all the dumb things…” a passenger was arrested at Melbourne airport Thursday after he left a stationary airliner through an emergency exit, walked along a wing, and then climbed down a jet engine to the tarmac.
It’s the bane of many travellers: jet lag. Nobody wants to lose out because they’re too tired to enjoy the delights of their vacation spot or be at less than their best at a business meeting. Here are some tips on how to handle jet lag, and maybe even avoid it all together.
Advanced artificial intelligence (AI) has “revolutionized” the booking process for ‘Round the World’ tickets, according to the oneworld airline alliance, which counts American Airlines, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific amongst its dozen-plus global members.
In another setback to the beleaguered airline manufacturer, federal safety officials in the US are requiring inspections of cockpit seats on Boeing 787 Dreamliners after one of the jets went into a dive when the captain’s seat lurched forward without warning and disconnected the plane’s autopilot system.