ACTA is applauding American Airlines decision rescind its scheduled policy to stop issuing loyalty points on travel agent bookings following significant advocacy efforts by the association in conjunction with the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), and the World Travel Agents Associations Alliance (WTAAA).
Travel Edge top performers celebrated their status in several exotic destinations ranging from Antigua to Croatia, while planting trees to help the environment was top of mind with both Flight Centre and ONVIGO. And a group of agents tagged along on Air Canada’s inaugural flight from Montreal to Tulum, Mexico.
Today (May 30) marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival in Montreal of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ inaugural flight from Amsterdam. It was the first commercial connection between Canada and mainland Europe – a 20-hour journey that included refueling stops at Prestwick, Scotland, and Gander. From Montreal, the plane continued to Curaçao in the Dutch West Indies, with a technical stopover in Havana.
The Singapore Airlines jetliner that hit sever turbulence last week went through huge swings in gravitational force in less than five seconds, likely causing the injuries to people who weren’t buckled into their seats, according to a preliminary report Wednesday by Singapore’s Transport Ministry.
Niagara-on-the-Lake has a new hotel – one inspired by Scotland, but just minutes from Canada’s most famous landmark. Besides the nearby Falls, The Scotsman Hotel is nestled in Niagara’s wine country, offering five-star luxury, in a town also renowned for its theatre (Shaw Festival), and 20 minutes from the Queenston Bridge to the US.
Destination weddings have continued their upward trend in popularity in recent years, and with good reason, as couples can celebrate milestones in idyllic settings that only paradise can offer. For those seeking a serene and tranquil atmosphere, Cayo Largo is the perfect destination for weddings, honeymoons, vow renewals and celebrations of love of all kinds.
Two recent high-profile incidents have put a spotlight on the potential dangers of flying through unstable air. In the latest occurrence, 12 passengers and crew were injured when a Qatar Airways plane flying from Doha to Dublin hit turbulence on Sunday, resulting in eight of the people being hospitalized. The inflight incident followed the death of a passenger and over 70 others hurt, many severely, on a Singapore Airlines flight earlier this month.
International tourism is expected to recover completely in 2024 backed by strong demand, enhanced air connectivity, and the continued recovery of China and other major Asian markets, according to UN Tourism, which reports that international tourist arrivals reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of the year.
A man accused of running naked down the aisle of an Australian domestic flight, knocking down a flight attendant and forcing the plane to turn back, was arrested by police at the airport, officials said. The incident happened early in what was scheduled to be a three-hour and 30-minute Virgin Australia flight on Monday night from the west coast city of Perth to Melbourne on the east coast.
The Travel Agent Next Door has undergone a restructuring designed to position the host agency for continued growth in the next decade, following its 10th anniversary this year. Well-known travel industry executive Jeff Element will become Chief Operating Officer, based in Toronto, overseeing Marketing & Training, Finance, Support & Operations.
Air Greenland and Canadian North are teaming up to offer direct flights every Wednesday between Nuuk and Iqaluit starting June 26. Air Greenland will be operating the once-weekly flight on its Dash 8 aircraft with Canadian North providing flights on its Boeing 737 aircraft for passengers from Montreal, Ottawa, and Kuujjuaq to meet up with the flight heading to Nuuk.
Goway GroupsOnly is growing the team with the addition of Elana Gindel as Group Sales & Reservations Manager. Based in Toronto, she will lead Goway GroupsOnly’s Europe and South Pacific teams and help grow the market in these foundational destinations for the tour company.
Guests of all ages will be able to soar with dragons in a colourful world filled with Viking adventures in “How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk,” one of the five worlds that will comprise the new Universal Epic Universe theme park opening in Orlando in 2025.
Chris Thompson has seen a lot during his 41 years in travel – wars, terrorist attacks, a once-in-a-generation depression, and – worst of all – a pandemic that shook the foundations of the travel industry, each in their own way resulting in profound changes in the way people see – and want to see – the world. And how they get there. But one thing the outgoing president and CEO of Brand USA knows hasn’t changed: the power of travel to transform lives, and how it might just save the world we live in.
With recent events raising questions about the state of competition in the airline industry in Canada, the Competition Bureau says it is seeking feedback from Canadians as it prepares to launch a market study of competition in domestic air passenger services in the country.
Expedia TAAP (Travel Agent Affiliate Program) has announced the expansion of its reward program into Canada. Following its launch in the US in 2022, the program incentivizes travel advisors with redeemable points for booking travel through the Expedia TAAP platform. Travel advisors who sign up for TAAP Rewards will be able to earn rewards points on eligible bookings, which they can then redeem for gift cards from a variety of popular retailers, including Amazon, H&M and Starbucks.
Sandals Resorts celebrated its top travel advisors – including Canadians – at its recent STAR Awards in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It was the 19th annual convening of the resort chain’s top agents, held fittingly at Sandals’ newest resort, and included learning, team building, community engagement, celebration, and plenty of R&R under the Vincentian sun.
Travel Leaders Network reports that Roger Block will step down from his role as president at the end of the year but will remain with the organization as a Senior Advisor effective Jan. 1, 2025. Block has had a 45-year career in retail travel, with leadership positions at Travel Leaders Network, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Travel Agent International, and has served in numerous capacities in the industry, including advisory boards and chairing the ASTA Board of Directors.
Lynx Air hopes to sell off everything from life jackets to oxygen masks as it tries to recoup a portion of the losses it suffered before filing for creditor protection earlier this year. In recent court filings, the defunct discount carrier said it has worked out deals with a pair of aviation companies abroad to sell plane parts and equipment ranging from seats to tires and transponders.
American Airlines has distanced itself from a court filing in which the carrier said a nine-year-old girl should have noticed there was a camera taped to the seat of an airplane lavatory. A former flight attendant is accused of luring girls to use the lavatory after taping his iPhone to the toilet seat.
With a colourful Jamaican vibe and a reggae beat – not least at the Sandals closing night gala beach party – the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) held its 42nd annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Montego Bay last week, attracting approximately 1,200 international delegates from 25 countries (including many Canadians) to the region’s “most important” event, which proved to be the largest since 2007, and similarly the biggest in the region since the pandemic, eclipsing last year’s gathering in Barbados.
Unprecedented ocean heat and a brewing La Nina has experts warning of an “ominous” Atlantic hurricane season – set to officially start June 1 – that will be one of the busiest on record. In its annual outlook, released late last week, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted between 17 and 25 named storms will brew up this summer and fall, with eight to 13 achieving hurricane status and four to seven of them becoming major hurricanes.
VIA Rail is enhancing service between Ottawa and Toronto with the introduction of several new departures. Starting today (May 27) a new 641 early-morning frequency will operate from Monday to Thursday, leaving Ottawa at 4:19 a.m. for arrival in Toronto at 8:48 a.m., with stops in Kingston, Belleville, Cobourg, and Port Hope.
Singapore Airlines (SQ) says it will halt meal services and get all cabin crew to buckle up when planes fly through turbulence as part of tighter cabin measures after one person died and dozens were injured on a flight from London last week. The airline said it has adopted a “more cautious approach to managing turbulence in-flight” after the Boeing 777 jet heading to Singapore hit extreme turbulence in the Irrawaddy basin, hurling people and items around the cabin.
A record was broken in the US ahead of the Memorial Day weekend for the number of airline travellers screened at airports across the country, the US Transportation Security Administration reported Saturday. That included the busiest day for the world’s busiest airport – Atlanta.
Last week was a busy week for WestJet, as the carrier delivered news on its fleet integration with Sunwing, called for a rethink of airport fees in Canada, introduced a new fare category, and launched flights to Korea; in other news last week, Britian hit a milestone for Canadian visitors; two Montreal airports went to court; Silversea welcomed a new ship; and Windstar fast-tracked commission payments to agents.
More Canadians are visiting Britain – and spending – than ever before, according to the latest official statistics highlighted by Britain’s national tourism agency, VisitBritain. Canada’s appetite for travel to Britain is surging with more than 1 million Canadian (1,003,000) visits in 2023, up 12% over 2022 and an increase of 15% since 2019, the year before the pandemic.
WestJet Airlines has plans to soon introduce a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag. CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech says the new fare category will be introduced within “a couple of weeks.”
Virgin Voyages said it plans to crack down on predatory sales tactics being used by some of its ‘First Mate’ travel agent partners who are soliciting customers and offering misleading ‘discounts’ to boost their sales. North American sales VP John Diorio, said in an email to travel agent partners that this has become an ‘important and serious’ issue.
Travellers are prioritizing leisure trips more than ever, and the overwhelming majority of them consider travel experiences to be more important than material possessions, according to a survey of the world’s most experienced travellers. More than a third of travellers (39%) responding to the 2024 Spring Global Rescue Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey said travel is a higher priority today than it was pre-pandemic.