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  DETAINED IN THE DR: Canadian not allowed home despite false arrest
  - The wife of a Canadian man who was arrested in the Dominican Republic after he was accused of smuggling drugs says all charges against him have been dropped, but he remains stuck there indefinitely. 
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  PORTER TAKES BIGGER BITE OF BIG APPLE WITH LGA FLIGHTS
  - By Michael Baginski/    Clients flying to New York with Porter now have a new option with flights to LaGuardia complementing the carrier’s existing Newark service. And with LGA flights departing from Pearson, travellers can also choose an alternative departure point to the Big Apple than Billy Bishop island airport.
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  ‘SO YOUNG AND VIBRANT’: Remembering Brand USA Cdn director Casey Canevari
  - The travel industry on both sides of the border was shocked and devastated to learn of the sudden death of Brand USA’s popular Director of Global Trade Development (Canada) on Thursday. Canevari, a familiar figure amongst the trade in Canada, fell ill in Toronto at the start of Brand USA’s second annual trade mission to Canada on April 28, which was to also call in Montreal later in the week.

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  WESTJET CELEBRATES AGENTS WITH CONTEST, LEARNING PORTAL
  - To show appreciation and celebrate its travel trade partners, WestJet is running a Travel Advisor Appreciation Month contest throughout May – giving advisors a chance to win prizes while being recognized for all they do – year-round.
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  EXPECT DELAYS AT NEWARK WARNS UNITED BOSS
  - Passengers with flights to or from Newark Liberty International Airport encountered long delays and cancellations Saturday due to an air traffic controller shortage. The busy airport outside New York City experienced disruptions all week and will continue to face more in the future, according to the CEO of United Airlines.
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  ROUND-UP: April 28-May 2, 2025
  - 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.

CHECK OUT OUR SPECIAL INFOCUS EDITIONS:

JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED YESTERDAY’s STORIES:

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  TRAVEL’S TROUBLE WITH BAD BOTS
  - A new report says automated bot traffic surpassed human-generated traffic for the first time in a decade, constituting 51% of all web traffic in 2024. And while some bot traffic is from good bots, bad bots can have a huge negative impact on a website or application. And that’s bad news for the travel industry, which saw API-directed attacks surge to 44% of advanced bot traffic, with the travel sector topping the list for bot attacks overall.
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  BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE: Are pet-friendly hotels actually friendly?
  - New research by Roch Dog, a global certification body for dog-friendly hotels, has revealed a growing gap between what hotels say about being pet-friendly and how they actually treat canine guests. Based on an analysis of 1000 pet-friendly hotels, their research finds that the vast majority of hotels charge dog owners significant pet fees and impose severe restrictions while offering little to no amenities in return.
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  7 SIMPLE TIPS TO HELP SECURE AN UPGRADE
  - A few extra inches of legroom and a comfier seat can make a big difference on a flight – and it's even more enjoyable if it's free. So, to help maximize the chances of a seat upgrade, frequent flyer experts Flight Hacks have identified some top tips for getting a free flight upgrade and understanding some of the mysteries behind the seat allocation system – helping travellers get the most out of their plane tickets.
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  FLORIDA’S PORT COMPETITION KEEPS HEATING UP
  - Who’s number one? It depends who you ask as Florida’s big cruise ports keep going for records. Greater Miami and Miami Beach have just branded the city the ‘Cruise Capital of the World’ to celebrate milestones that include the opening of the world’s largest cruise terminal and the arrival of several huge new cruise ships.
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  LISTENING IN: The Magic Power of Triumph
  - It’s been over 40 years since the heyday of Triumph, but the great Canadian band is still revered, garnering virtually every honorific possible in this country, and now again in the news thanks to the upcoming release (in June) of a tribute album featuring the likes of band devotees Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Ann Wilson (Heart), Larry Gowan, (Styx), and Sebastian Bach (Skid Row).